The Third Year
by wishingforatypewriter
Summary: The 92nd generation has only one more year until graduation. And now that they've finally made it to the top, our favorite chefs have to run the Elite Ten Council, or run it into the ground. Can Tōtsuki survive their reign? Can they? (A collection of one shots, mostly humor or fluff. Different pairings)
1. Exhaustion (Souma x Megumi)

It was long past midnight but well before dawn. An autumn chill had settled upon the Tōtsuki campus, turning breath to vapor and bringing long neglected blankets out of storage bins. But a sweet, doughy aroma wafted through the halls of the Polar Star dormitory, its warmth and richness sliding under doors and into the vast network of communication pipes.

Tadokoro Megumi twitched and sighed in her sleep as the smell permeated her until then innocent dreams. She mumbled the name of the one she loved into the down pillows that had always kept her secrets—not that it was much of a secret anymore. After a few minutes a strong desire for... _dessert_ woke her, so she rolled out of bed, ran a comb through her free flowing locks and made her way down to the kitchen.

"You sleepwalking again, Tadokoro?" Souma asked when he saw her. Megumi noted that he was still wearing his Yukihira diner attire, which meant he probably hadn't gotten any rest after his late night shokugeki against Takumi Aldini. Takumi, along with nearly every other third year at Tōtsuki, was hoping to defeat him and take the school's top spot. Not even the professors could recall the last time a first seat had been so open to challenges.

"No," she laughed, still rubbing her eyes. "I'm up, for now at least." The sixth seat poured herself a glass of water and sat down at the kitchen table. "What'cha making?"

"Maple syrup dumplings. Wanna try?"

Megumi nodded, cheeks slightly flushed. It was the only reason she'd gotten out of bed. Souma ladled two of the plump, glistening treats onto a plate and set it down in front of her.

After blowing on it, she bit into the first one and felt a warmth blooming in her core, reminiscent of a frozen over branch thawing beautifully with the coming of spring. A river, stagnated by ice, began to flow again. Life returned to a barren world.

She licked the residual syrup from her lips. Almond essence, a hint of bourbon, caramel with the faintest bitterness...he really the best she'd ever known where things like sauces were concerned.

"I love it," she said, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. With them, confessions about food and feelings often worked in tandem. "Dessert shokugeki coming up?"

"With Nakiri Alice. First thing tomorrow."

Megumi shook her head ever so slightly. He was just incorrigible. Ever since he clinched the first seat of the Elite Ten Council earlier that month, Souma had accepted every single challenge offered to him, often multiple in a day.

"Ya really oughta get some sleep, Souma-kun," Megumi advised in her honey-sweet hometown drawl, the one that only slipped out when she was flustered or bone tired. "You've been looking a bit pale."

He shot her one of his winning, electric smiles—half intended to assuage her worries and the other half amused as ever by her accent. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

Megumi's expression was doubtful to say the least. She'd been observing for over two years now, and this was how he always acted right before he crashed. "If you say so," she allowed. "Do you need any help?"

"Well, I've been trying to make the dumplings lighter. But you probably want to get back to bed."

"N-not at all!" She said too quickly, and she meant it.

They ended up tinkering with the recipe until morning, fingers brushing, shoulders touching just enough to plant a giddy feeling in Megumi despite the ungodly hour.

He won the shokugeki against Alice 2-1, as well as the twenty-two others that followed in the next few days.

All that week Megumi had been leaving onigiri and thermoses of tea out for him, as she always did when he was so consumed with cooking that he forgot to eat.

That rainy Thursday afternoon, as she was sitting in the kitchen, emailing potential judges for the upcoming Autumn Elections, Sakaki and Yoshino entered in high spirits.

"Megumi-chi," Yoshino whined. "You missed the best shokugeki ever! It was Yukihira vs Hayama-kun."

"Souma-kun won?" Megumi hardly had to ask. She continued to sip her tea and bite her tongue about how increasingly ridiculous she found the situation.

"He did, but for a while it looked Hayama-kun had him on the ropes! And then, and _then_! Tell her Ryouko-chi!"

Sakaki smiled an apologetic smile. "Yuki-chan, Megumi looks like she's busy right now. Maybe we should come back later."

"No, not at all!" Megumi insisted, finally looking up from her laptop. "I was just writing a few emails. I'm all ears."

Yoshino immediately stopped pouting. "Alright! So right after the match, in front of everybody, Kurokiba-kun and Erina-chi both challenged Yukihira. Next week is going to be exciting!"

For a split second, Megumi's expression shifted from annoyance to concern and then settled on a kind of resignation. "I suppose it will be," she sighed, all the while fighting down the feeling that this would not end well.

About an hour later Souma returned to the Polar Star dorm, half drenched and carrying a dozen grocery bags. He looked beyond exhausted, but she knew he'd never admit it.

"Hey Tadokoro," he panted, setting his ingredients down on the counter. "Do you wanna taste test a few recipe ideas?"

"As long as it doesn't involve dried squid," she joked, all the while fighting off memories of the most disgusting dishes.

Souma laughed at her horrified expression, but it quickly turned into a coughing fit that he tried in vain to stifle. He really did hate worrying her.

"Souma-kun." Megumi walked over and started rubbing his back. Her lips curved downward into a pensive frown. When the worst of the fit was over, she went to the fridge and poured him a glass of water. It was a few minutes before he could catch his breath.

He took a few sips of the water. "Thanks, Tadokoro."

Megumi winced a little at how hoarse he sounded. "Are you okay?"

"Throat's just a little sore. It's nothing." Then he shot her his classic don't-worry-about-me smile again, but it had been far more convincing the last time.

"That didn't sound like nothing." She had known that all the all nighters would catch up with him eventually. She rested the back of her hand on his forehead. "You're burning. You should go lie down. Does your head hurt? And are you hungry? I'll make some soup for you. And also-"

"Tadokoro," he interrupted her. No one had fussed over him like this since...well, since a time he could hardly remember anymore. "You don't have to-" he started before the cough overtook him again.

"It's because I want to," she insisted. "Now get some rest, okay?"

Megumi then got to work on the chicken soup recipe her mother had made famous throughout their hometown. She had just finished chopping up vegetables and herbs to add to her stock when the doorbell rang. She quickly washed her hands and half jogged the the front door.

"Oh, Tadokoro-san," Arato Hisako greeted as she stood in the doorway holding a manila envelope. "How have you been?"

"I've been well? Please come in, Arato-san."

"Is Yukihira around?" The seventh seat questioned. "I've brought over Erina-sama's terms for the upcoming shokugeki."

At this Megumi sighed. "I see."

"Of course, Erina-sama will be successful. But on the off chance that she is defeated, I'd like to issue a challenge to avenge her. Oh, and Hayama would like to schedule a rematch, maybe for Tuesday. And Aldini for Sunday, after Erina. And Mito-san wanted to schedule a shokugeki that has nothing to do with the first seat. I think she said something about him finally noticing her. So if you could just tell him-"

"Alright this has to stop!" Megumi shouted before she could catch herself. "O-oh my. I'm incredibly sorry for yelling, Arato-san. I mean, I know that for you and Nakiri-san and the rest, getting the first seat before graduation is really important, but now really isn't a good time. Souma-kun is exausted, and he doesn't feel well, so for now can you all just stop? Just for a little while?"

Hisako gave a sympathetic smile and made a note on the document in her folder. "I'll see what I can do," she assured.

* * *

When Hisako arrived back at the Nakiri mansion, Erina, Alice, and Ryo were all sitting in the parlor with yellow legal pads brainstorming ways to take the first seat.

"Hisako, you're back!" Erina greeted. "Did he agree to all my terms?"

"About that..." the seventh seat hedged as the second, fourth and fifth seats stared at her with an unnerving intensity. "I think we've become a nuisance to Tadokoro-san."

"What do you mean, Hisako?" Erina questioned.

Then Hisako relayed what Megumi had told her. "So at any rate," she concluded, "I think we should postpone all of our challenges until next month. I can deliver the message to Hayama and Takumi-kun as well."

"Aww, Tadokoro really takes care of him!" Alice gushed. "She's a better aide than you are, Ryo-kun."

"I'd say she's less of an aide and more of a girlfriend," the lethargic fifth seat countered while enduring Alice's slaps.

"G-girlfriend," Erina repeated. "Those two are..."

"See, Erina? This is why I told you not to be so slow," Alice chided.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the second seat said indignantly, arms crossed over her ample bosom. "It would take someone like Tadokoro to put up with such an irritating person."

"I don't know. That's not how it looked last year..."

"Shut up Alice!"

"If you face me in a shokugeki with the second seat at stake, I'll never mention the crush you had on Yukihira again!"

"There was no crush!" Erina shouted, red faced. "And fine! I'll accept the challenge if it puts an end to your slander!"

"Alright!" Alice cheered. "To the kitchen, Ryo-kun."

"Why do I have to come too?"

"In support of me! Support me more Ryo-kun!"

"Alright, milady Alice."

* * *

Late that night, before she went to bed, Megumi went to room 303 to check on her best friend. Souma was still sleeping—thank goodness—though his rest was punctuated with frequent coughs. The sixth seat frowned, thinking that his chest must hurt a lot. She tried her best not to wake him when she swapped the now-warm washcloth on his forehead with a cold one.

Still, he opened his eyes and smiled weakly at her. "Tadokoro." He sat up, leaning against the headboard.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice full of an unbridled affection she was usually very good at keeping in check.

"Your soup helped a lot."

"I'm glad," she admitted. Megumi was about to say goodnight when he tensed and then started hacking into the crook of his elbow.

"Breathe, Souma-kun," she soothed while rubbing circles onto his shaking back. "Just try to relax."

The fit left him breathing heavily, massaging the middle of his chest. Megumi sighed, her hand still moving across his back. She wished she could do something more for him. Then a thought occurred to her. "Hold on a minute, Souma-kun."

She returned to her room, and through the bag of medical supplies her mother felt a young woman just couldn't leave for the big city without. In a few minutes, she went back to Souma's room with her grandmother's homemade vapor rub in tow.

"This should help a little," Megumi promised as she sat once again at the edge of the bed. He was half-asleep by then, which she'd expected. Hesitantly at first, she started to massage his chest with the salve. A blush crept onto Megumi's face as she considered how intimate the act was—what on earth would her mother think? And while she truly did love all of her friends, she couldn't think of another she'd do something like this for. But she wouldn't pretend for a moment that she didn't know why.

She stopped her ministrations once his breathing had evened out a bit. "Goodnight Souma-kun," Megumi whispered as she got up and left for her own room again. "Feel better soon."

Author's Notes: Hello, Somegu fandom! I just wanted to clarify the rankings within the elite ten for this story. From first seat on it goes: Souma, Erina, Hayama, Alice, Ryo, Megumi, Hisako, Takumi, Ikumi, some very talented second year. Thanks so much for reading! Have a great day!


	2. Passion Food (Hisako x Hayama)

**Passion Food (Hisako x Hayama)**

"So it's settled." Erina adjusted her reading glasses before scribbling her signature on the twenty ninth page of the document in front of her. In today's meeting they were going through the lucrative tasks titans of the gastronomical world wanted to put before the Elite Ten Council—for a hefty price of course. "Aldini and Mito-san will fly to Milan this weekend to advise Chef Batali on his new restaurant's menu. All expenses will be covered by the chef, of course." Everyone knew that Tōtsuki consultations didn't come cheap.

"Hmm," Ikumi said. "What should I pack? Aldini, is it cold in Italy this time of year?"

"Not too bad, I think," he said. "I'd still bring a jacket though."

"Yeah, makes sense."

"I wonder if it's a charter plane or a commercial flight?"

"Definitely charter," Ikumi decided, "It's Chef Batali we're talking about. But what snacks should we bring?"

 _"Next order of business,"_ Erina all but growled. These meetings lasted twice as long as they did back when she was tenth seat because everyone on the council was so chummy now. Her grandfather said nothing like this has happened since Chef Saiba was a student at Tōtsuki. She shook her head vigorously. Now was not the time to think about Saiba-san.

"A renowned se..se...what?" Erina looked up, her face flushed. "That can't be right, right? A s...se...seeeeeeee."

Curious, Alice snatched the paper away from her flustered cousin. It had to be something good to make Erina drop her professionalism. "A world renowned sexologist wants us to develop a gourmet dish using natural aphrodisiacs to recommend to her clients. Hmm."

Alice looked around the room. Tadokoro was about as red as Erina; they'd both be useless at something like this. Yukihira and Ryo, though both geniuses in their ways, had neither the sensitivity nor the background in herb cultivation to excel at such a task. Maybe the underclassman? No...Alice wouldn't be a cruel senpai.

"Alright!" she sung. "I'm going to give this one to Hishoko and...Hayama-kun!"

"You don't have the authority," the pink haired chef began.

"Oh, but I do," the Nakiri replied. "In the event that the second seat is unable to perform her duties as head of the task distribution committee, the fourth seat is in charge. You have the medical know how. You're most qualified for it."

"Yukihira!" Hisako tried, appealing to the first seat's veto power.

Souma scratched the back of his head. Truthfully he hadn't been paying that much attention. "I mean, she has a point, Arato."

"Better get to work," the Nakiri sang. "You too Hayama-kun. As part of my faction, I expect you to excel."

"When did I become part of something like that?"

"First year. When you assisted with my booth on Main Street."

"For the last time, it was the Shiomi Seminar's booth! You just inserted yourself into our territory."

"No back talk!" Alice slammed her hand against the table. "Now, shoo, the both of you."

Once they were gone, she turned towards her fellow council members. "So who wants to make a bet?"

"I'm listening," Ikumi said.

"¥70,000 says they make out by Monday."

"You're being cautious," Ikumi observed. Her wagers usually went into the hundred thousands. "But I'll match it," she then glanced towards the second seat, who still seemed to be in shock, and lowered her voice. "Arato-san is just like Erina-sama when it comes to that stuff."

Alice shook her head. "That's an act she puts on for Erina's sake."

"We'll see."

Just then, the Nakiri in question seemed to come back to life. "Anyway, where were we?"

Alice smirked. "Just sign your name here, Erina."

* * *

On Saturday morning a black towncar arrived in front of the Shiomi seminar.

"I can't believe I'm already sending you off," Jun wailed as he put the spices he would need into small plastic containers. "I mean, she seems to be a nice girl from a respectable family but-"

"It's only Elite Ten business. I'm not even particularly fond of her. Don't be so dramatic, Jun," he chided.

"It's professor Shiomi!" she insisted.

"Just remember to water the plants while I'm gone. Don't forget what happened last time."

She sighed. "Yes, Hayama-kun. Good luck!"

"Thanks." Then, not wanting to keep the driver waiting any longer, he got into car and was chauffeured to the Arato mansion, which was about a half hour's drive from Tōtsuki's campus center.

It was a traditional estate with a small pond and multiple gardens behind the main house. The property was larger by far than the on-campus Nakiri mansion. Two maids awaited Hayama in front of the main house.

"You must be Hayama-san," one, a dark haired woman, said. "I'll bring your belongings to one of the guest rooms."

"It's alright, you don't have to-"

"Please," she insisted. "There are many rooms in the Arato estate, and you might not find your way back."

"Okay..." Somewhat reluctantly, he handed his duffel bag over and the woman disappeared into the manor.

"Hisako-sama is out in the herb garden," the second one explained. "I can lead you there now, unless you'd like some tea first."

"No, that's fine," he replied, feeling a lot like he'd just entered a world class hotel. "We should probably get straight to work."

After a ten minute walk through the compound, they reached the herb garden. Hayama was greeted by the sight of Erina's secretary strolling barefoot with feather light steps through the different plots. With a woven straw basket in hand, she'd bend down every minute or so and add something to her collection.

"Oh, Hayama-kun." She finally spotted him and gave a little wave. "I'm almost done here. Just give me a minute." She pulled a root of some sort out of the ground and then made her way over to her classmate.

"Hisako-sama." The maid gave a little bow. "Is there anything more that you require?"

"Has someone delivered Erina-sama's weekend schedule to the Nakiri mansion?"

"First thing this morning, Hisako-sama."

"Perfect. Thank you, Hana. That's all I required. Please spend the rest of the day as you wish."

After the young maid took her leave, Hisako realized that her classmate was staring at her incredulously. "What?" she asked.

"You're a princess," he deadpanned. Almost everyone at Tōtsuki has some wealth but this...to think that someone who grew up with all this could trail behind Nakiri the way she did.

"Don't say that," she laughed and started walking to the kitchen. "They just act like that because I'm not home often."

When they reached the kitchen, Hisako placed her basket on the counter alongside other ingredients she'd set out.

"Cinnamon, nutmeg, guarana, and is that...maca root?" He quickly figured out her herb and spice blend, but feigned some uncertainty for her sake.

"Your powers are truly frightening, Hayama-kun."

"So you're making a dessert then," he predicted.

"I thought that would be the best choice for the task at hand," she explained as she began to chop up a large block of semi-sweet dark chocolate. "It's going to be a molten chocolate cake topped with raspberries and powdered sugar. You have a different idea in mind, though?"

"A curry."

"Why am I not surprised?" she laughed. "But will that really...um...you know?" Hisako bit her lip, looking down.

"Will it make people want to have sex?" The spice expert smirked at her. To think she'd doubt him. "I'll let you be the judge then, Arato."

Under his amused stare, Hisako's face and neck quickly flushed. Still, she forced herself to look him in the eye. "In that case, Hayama-kun, you should taste mine as well."

"The limit is two hours."

Hisako resumed her cooking. She mixed the batter and poured it into molds, and dissolved the ground maca root and guarana in spiced rum to make a decoction. Then, as she started to temper the chocolate filling—a skill she picked up during the second year of high school—it hit her.

The overpowering, irresistible fragrance that always accompanied Hayama's cooking gripped at Hisako like a physical thing, heating her from the inside out. The seventh seat shook her head and took off her cardigan, leaving her in only a floral sun dress. She had to stay focused! Still, that spicy, umami packed aroma whispered to her, tortured her.

In a moment of weakness, after she'd slid her cake into the preheated oven, Hisako turned to look at Hayama on his side of the kitchen. Surely her own dish must be having a similar effect on her opponent. But alas, the spice king appeared completely focused on his own cooking. Hisako rolled her eyes, less than pleased. But the day was still young, and soon she would make him yield to her world of cooking once and for all.

Over an hour later, when she'd taken the cake out to let it cool, Hayama approached her with his dish. "Tell me how it measures up."

With one look at those smug green eyes, Hisako knew she was in trouble. But with her head held high, she ate a spoonful of the curry. Almost immediately she broke into a sweat. The heat was tantalizing, heightening her senses. The rich umami of the goat meat burst forth in her mouth. The potatoes, with their hint of sweetness caressed her palate in just the right way. The entire dish was like an attentive lover whose every move was for the sake of her pleasure.

Despite her best efforts, Hisako released a deep moan. Her knees nearly buckled.

"I didn't know Nakiri's secretary could make sounds like that."

"Y-you shut up!" She squeaked, all the while waiting for her heart rate to slow. After regaining her composure, as much as she could anyway, she topped her own creating with powdered sugar and two raspberries. "Here."

He tasted it and seemed to have no reaction for a while. Hisako braced herself, expecting to hear that she was useless or limited. But instead he leaned down, looked at her and said, "I was wrong before. Arato Hisako, your world of cooking is boundless."

Those words that she'd been hungry for since the day he defeated her in the autumn elections flipped a switch in Hisako. It might have been the curry, or the look in his gorgeous eyes, but before she knew left from right she was kissing him—long, and hard, and breathless. Then Hayama's lips were on her neck, and she threw her head back, releasing another moan.

Suddenly, a wild shriek sounded from one of the gardens where an onlooker gazed at the pair through binoculars.

The two came to their senses, but did nothing to increase the distance between them. "What was that?" the spice prodigy asked.

"My stalker, probably," she sighed. Hisako smoothed her hands over her rumpled dress. "Okay. We are both way too good at this. It's dangerous."

"True," he admitted. And then a pause charged with uncertainty passed over them. "So do you want to try again?"

"Sure, sure. Maybe this time we can improve the fragrance if we-" but then his lips were on hers again. Hisako had no idea that was what he meant, but she had no objections.

"The smell would be stronger...if we switch...the rum you used with...bourbon whiskey," he told her between kisses.

"Yes," Hisako gave a contented sigh. "Why didn't I...think of that before?" Why hadn't she thought of any of this before? Why hadn't she been kissing and caressing him since the day they met? And how on earth was she supposed to stop before she had to present herself to Erina on Monday? It was going to be a long weekend.

When the effects of the food wore off, they perfected her recipe and presented it to the client, who said it reminded her of her first love affair.

On Monday morning after Sadatsuka Nao had filled the Elite Ten's suggestion box with hate letters addressed to Hayama, Alice waved her outstretched hand at Ikumi, wiggling her fingers. "I told you I had a sure way of knowing. Now pay up, Mito-san."

 **Author's Notes:** I don't really know why, but I love these two together (I multi-ship the heck out of Hisako, though). Thanks for reading, everyone. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Also, please comment with any requests (in terms of scenarios and/or ships). Have a great week!


	3. Beloved (Alice x Ryo)

**Beloved** **(Alice and Ryo)**

A week ago, Nakiri Alice had hit a wall—both literally and figuratively.

It seemed like no matter how much knowledge she gained, or how many skills she developed, she would always fall short of the goddamned god tongue. The young scientist and chef had been wiping the tears from her eyes after yet another defeat at the hands of her cousin when she saw them. Two students in her year, the smoke boy and the fermentation girl—they were in Yukihira's crowd, or something—walked hand in hand out of the shokugeki stadium, stealing kisses along the way.

In the warm light of the setting sun, the moment had been so pure, so picturesque, like something out of the sappy manga Erina liked to read. Alice had been so entranced watching them that she walked right into the brick wall of an academic building. Once the student run Tōtsuki newspaper—though anyone regularly written about would say it was more of a tabloid—had gotten their spread of embarrassing photos, and a video or two for the website, Alice returned to the Nakiri mansion where she'd been barricaded in her suite of rooms ever since.

She lied in a sheer nightgown, curled up facing the wall and watching the vine of her now viral face-plant time and time again.

The door swung open, crashing noisily against her mahogany wardrobe. Her aide stood in the doorway, donning his trademark red bandana.

"Jeez, Ryo-kun," she sighed without turning around. "How many times do I have to tell you to announce yourself before coming in?"

He glowered at the heiress' petite form, wrapped snug in expensive blankets. "Just how long are ya planning on hiding in here like a damn kid?"

"As long as I like. You should be more concerned about your master, you know," she admonished. "You never even asked how I was."

Ryo stomped further into the room until he was right next to her canopy bed. He leaned against one of the tall poles. "You know, this is why you keep losing to Erina. It's because you're too soft."

With this, at last, Alice turned to face him, her eyes narrowed. "You're trying to start a fight," she observed. The Nakiri sat up, thinking. "Usually this would be more than enough provocation...but today." She flopped back down on the bed with a dramatic sigh. "It's just not going to work, Ryo-kun."

He removed his bandana, the threatening aura around him dissipating once again. "I figured."

"I'm bored, Ryo-kun."

"Then get up and do something, milady Alice."

"It's not that simple. I want something different. I want..." she looked down, her ruby eyes starting to shine with unshed tears. "I want to go back to Scandinavia."

"Okay. We'll go after graduation," he said with a nonchalant expression. "It's just a few months until then."

"Really? You'd come with me? Even though you've received so many job offers?"

"I guess." He shrugged. He'd followed her to Japan after all.

"Honestly." She rolled her eyes. "You should be a little more passionate when you're saying something like that."

"Alright, that's settled. We'll leave after we graduate, right after the ceremony. Now can you get up and go outside?"

Alice truly considered it for a moment. Then, dejected, she shook her head. "That's good...but I still need an immediate change. I need..." Suddenly she remembered the couple she saw outside the stadium. "I need you to find me a lover, Ryo-kun!"

"Do you even know what you're saying?" he asked in a voice that let her know he doubted it.

"Of course," she stated with a proud smirk. "Someone to kiss me and tell me how wonderful I am."

"Milady Alice, that's not exactly what-"

"You know my tastes better than anyone, Ryo-kun. Go find someone suitable and bring him to me."

"And why would I do something like that?"

"Because you're bound to serve me," she giggled. "Also, if you pick the person then you can't complain." He had chased many a suitor away from her over the years. It was the only real reason why she'd never had a boyfriend. "But if you choose someone I don't like, I'll never let you hear the end of it. So really think about it."

"Milady Alice-"

"You have until six o'clock. Best of luck, Ryo-kun." And then she turned away from him and put in her earbuds. That was her ultimate end-of-discussion gesture.

With a sigh, her aide left the room descended the stairs, glancing at an antique clock on the way down. It was a quarter to five. If he was going to do this he'd have to work fast.

As he was leaving, he came across Erina and Hisako in front of the gates. The two looked like they were returning from a meeting or a tasting—something of that nature.

"Kurokiba," Erina greeted with a polite nod. "Is Alice still up there pouting?"

"Something like that."

"She's such a child," the second seat said. Erina folded her arms, clearly vexed. "This is why I never accept her challenges." Then she paused, her ice melting just a bit. "She's always been so sensitive...Maybe I should have held back a bit."

"Not at all. It isn't Erina-sama's fault in the slightest that she reacts that way," Hisako rushed to say. "Right Kurokiba?"

"Tch." If he really wanted to, Ryo could have commented on how Erina constantly lording her mutant tastebuds over Alice's hard work was condescending and uncalled for, but he was already running low on time. And patience.

"By the way, have either of you seen Hayama?" He asked. Alice seemed to like him well enough.

"Earlier today," the secretary said. "Why?"

"The lady Alice is looking for a lover so-"

"She's looking for what now?" Erina questioned.

 _"Off limits."_ The secretary's voice was quiet, but a subtle threat hung about her words. Hisako's bangs covered her eyes, casting a shadow over her face and the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees.

"He is? How come, Hisako?" Erina questioned.

Whatever demon had momentarily possessed the seventh seat seemed to release her under the Nakiri's probing stare. "O-oh, Erina-sama. I just...it's just. Um. Dating within the Elite Ten Council might cause a conflict of interests. Don't you think?"

Erina seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Hmm...I guess you're right. Maybe find her someone else, Kurokiba."

"Whatever. I'll get Aldini or someone instead." He barely registered anyone lower than the sixth seat as part of the Elite Ten.

"Yes! That's a great idea!" Hisako inserted, smiling a bit too hard. "You get to work on that Kurokiba!"

"Wait, but Aldini's is in the Elite Ten, too," Erina pointed out, but her sidekick was already dragging her away. "Why isn't he a problem?"

"Let's go upstairs, Erina-sama," she sang. And then the two were gone.

That...Ryo wasn't even going to begin to mess with whatever that was. So Hayma would be spared Alice's latest whim for now.

He roamed around the campus for a while before he ran into the Aldini brothers.

"How are you, Kurokiba?" Takumi asked.

"Blond Aldini," he said. "The lady Alice needs you for something."

"Really? For Elite Ten business, right?"

"I guess you could say that."

"That's my cue to leave," Isami said. "Later nii-chan, Kurokiba."

"Let's go," Ryo-said as he started walking.

Takumi looked at his watch. "Well...I guess I have time now." And he all too innocently followed.

When they got back, Ryo threw open the door the way they always did. Alice—now in a far more revealing nightgown—stood up to assess her prey.

"Aldini, hmm?"

"Nakiri-san!" Takumi quickly covered his eyes. "I apologize, I didn't know you were indecent."

Alice circled the eighth seat, musing. "A good candidate," she admitted. He was an excellent chef and quite easy on the eyes. "But way too clean cut for my tastes. Find someone edgier, Ryo-kun."

"Sure, milady Alice," and then, unceremoniously he tossed the brightly blushing Takumi out of the room.

By nightfall, Ryo had brought three other potential suitors to Alice, but she found an issue with each one of them. None had been exactly what she wanted. It was a little past eleven when he returned for the final time, unaccompanied.

"Did you give up, Ryo-kun?"

With a sigh, he tied on his bandana once again. It was now or never. "Alice," he growled at her. "You're fucking gorgeous and fucking smart, and if it wasn't for her mutant tastebuds you would have laid your cousin flat ages ago! That's what I think. That's what everyone at this school with half a brain thinks. So how long are you going to stay in here acting pathetic, huh?"

"Ryo-kun." She walked up to her raging aide and hugged him. She stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek. "That took longer than I expected. I was beginning to think you didn't see me as a woman."

"What?"

"You should have known after Aldini. I said edgier. Who else could I mean? You're so dense sometimes, Ry-" And then his lips were on hers, hungry and passionate, trying to make her submit. He kissed her until her lungs were starved for air and she had to pull away.

Her face was flushed and she was breathing heavily, her eyes shimmering like the jewels they so resembled. It was an expression Ryo hoped to see a lot more of in the future. "One of these days, I'm gonna show you what it is that a lover actually does."

"Is that a challenge I hear?" for the first time in ages, a wicked smirk adorned her lips. "Let's take it to the kitchen."

 **Author's Notes:** Thanks for reading everyone! I hoped you enjoyed it. So I think these three pairings (Soumegu, Ryoali, and Hisakira...or Akirako—someone please tell me what their actual ship name is lol) are going to be my main focus in this story, but I'm open to other ships. Reviews are greatly appreciated! Have a great week!


	4. Senior Ditch Day (Souma x Megumi)

**Senior Ditch Day (Soumegu)**

 **Author's Notes:** This story takes place earlier in the school year than the other fics so far, so the Elite Ten Rankings are different. Thanks for reading! I hope everyone enjoys it!

"Hello, Inui-senpai? This is Tadokoro Megumi," she tried her best to sound pleasant on the phone despite the sweat inducing, life sucking, hairstyle ruining heat wave that was currently weighing down the Tōtsuki population.

"N-no, I can't just be yours already," she laughed, hoping to heaven that the alumna was kidding. "I was just calling to thank you for participating in the Friendship and Rapport Training Camp again this year...um...well...I see...you too, Inui senpai. Have a great day."

Then Megumi tapped the end button with a bit more force than was necessary. It was way too hot to be preyed upon by senpai. She rested her head on the kitchen table where class notes and Elite Ten paperwork surrounded her like a medieval fortress.

"Hey, Tadokoro," Souma said as he came in from the vegetable garden. "Are you alive?"

"No," she groaned. She was melting, the alumni were as strange as ever, and she had no idea what she was going to do about Chapelle-sensei's midterm assignment.

Then she glanced up and was greeted with the sight of her best friend's shirtless upper body. He really had gotten more muscular over the years. Megumi knew she had already turned into a tomato—that much couldn't be helped—but she focused all her willpower on keeping her mouth from hanging ajar.

Taking in her messy ponytail and incredibly flushed face, Souma couldn't help but laugh. "You really are a winter person, Tadokoro."

"It would seem so." While Megumi was wallowing in her weather induced despair, Souma placed a light brown, frothy drink in front of her.

"Here. This should help."

"Thanks." She took a sip of the beverage. Intensely sweet and bitter flavors fought for dominance over her palate and left her feeling refreshed. "What is this Souma-kun?"

"It's called mauby. My dad learned about it when he was in the Caribbean."

"As expected of Jouichirou-san," she said. "So how's the battle plan going?" Since the administration released the Elite Ten standings at the beginning of the year, Souma had been waiting for Nakiri Erina to accept his challenge.

"Nakiri's making it hard. If I were in her position, I'd accept any challenge at any time."

"Somehow, I feel like that would really happen," she noted with an almost prophetic sense of dread. "But if you keep bothering her, she'll say yes eventually."

"I think so too. The way I see it, the standings probably won't be set in stone until the fall. Then I'll take the first seat from Nakiri and you can grab the fourth seat from Kurokiba."

"F-fourth seat?" Megumi squeaked. "Souma-kun, it's a miracle that I made it onto the Elite Ten Council at all. To think that I could win against that man..."

"I dunno. I think you could beat him pretty easily."

At this she gave a radiant smile. "You've always had too much faith in me, Souma-kun."

"But I've never been wrong," he countered. "You're brilliant, Tadokoro."

Megumi heaved a little sigh. Whenever he said things like that she just wanted to kiss him. "I'm nothing special," she said, while gazing down at her drink. "But honestly, it doesn't really matter to me which seat I am. I just want to enjoy my last year with everyone. Sometimes I wish things weren't so competitive and we could all just have fun together, you know?"

"Tadokoro." He gazed at her for a long while and Megumi's heart started hammering beneath her rib cage. "Leave it to me."

And before she could find out what he meant, Souma was gone.

The next morning Megumi woke up feeling quite rested. The digital clock on her bedside table flashed 10:15 in neon red. She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times. "What? That can't be right!" Her first class started at nine. She set an alarm every night, and even if she managed to sleep through it, Souma would have woken her up on his way out.

She rushed to the bathroom down the hall and got ready, even though she knew she would probably be late for her third class as well. When she finally made it downstairs, she saw the rest of the Polar Star third years in beach attire, carrying around sports equipment and aluminum trays of food.

"Megumi-chi's finally awake!" Yuki cheered.

"What is all of this?"

"It's senior ditch day!" she explained.

"What?"

"Don't ask us. It was Yukihira's idea," Ryouko said.

"Now go get on your swimsuit," Yuki said, "Takumi-chi and the others are already there."

Fifteen minutes later, Megumi returned downstairs wearing a lavender tankini under her sundress and toting a haphazardly arranged beach bag. Then the group—split up into Souma, Ryouko, and Shun's cars—made its way to the beach.

"Yukihira!" Takumi Aldini bellowed as soon as they were in sight. "What kind of person shows up late to his own last minute event?"

His accusation was met with a blank stare from Souma.

"There's no need for such an extreme reaction nii-chan," Isami said. "It clashes with the relaxed atmosphere."

"B-be quiet Isami," the flustered chef said. "At any rate, Yukihira, let's settle this longstanding rivalry between us in a soccer match!"

"We actually just need an extra player," Isami translated.

"Sure," Souma said. He turned to Megumi. "Do you mind holding on to my stuff for a while, Tadokoro?"

"Of course not," she said, placing his phone, wallet, and keys in her purse. "Have fun!"

"Is it just me," Yuki began as she, Megumi, and Ryouko set up their beach towels and umbrellas side by side by side, "or have Megumi-chi and Yukihira been looking more and more like a couple lately?"

"What?" Megumi's eyes grew wide with shock. "Souma-kun and me?"

"I mean, he put all this together just because he thought you were feeling a little down."

"He did?" Megumi's eyes drifted to where he was kicking the ball around with Takumi, Kurokiba and the others. She had assumed that this was just another one of his crazy whims. But in truth, he had always gone the extra mile for her—for everyone. "Well, he's just that kind of person. He'd do anything for his friends." A wide grin tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Look at that smile," Ryouko joined in the teasing. "Maybe she's falling in love with him too."

"Who's in love with whom?" Erina asked as she, Hisako, and Alice made their way over.

"Yukihira's in love with Megumi-chi!" Yuki blurted out before either of her friends could stop her.

"That's not true!" Megumi wailed, although the reverse definitely was. "P-please don't spread that around." She would be absolutely mortified if some nonsense like that got back to him.

"But isn't that common knowledge?" Hisako asked, completely ignoring the girl in question. "I've thought that since we were first years."

"Yeah, tell us something we don't know," Alice said as she plopped down next to Ryouko and popped open a bottle of champagne.

"I didn't know," Erina said somewhat sullenly.

"Is he finally making a move or something?" Alice questioned.

"He might be," Yuki replied.

"Okay!" Megumi stood up and clasped her hands. Her face was once again red as the stamp on a failed assignment. "Why don't we all go swimming?" _And stop talking about this._

As the day waned they all swam, played games, grilled meat, and heavily indulged in Ryouko's famous "fermented rice juice." By the time the pink and orange dawn was beginning to rear its head on the horizon, almost everyone had either been picked up by drivers or slept soundly on clusters of blankets.

It was then, just as the sun was starting to rise, that Megumi approached him. "Souma-kun," she said, taking a seat next to him, right at the foot of the sea. "Thank you so much for today. I had a lot of fun."

And then he smiled that smile that always made her heart do backflips "Don't mention it, Tadokoro. But if you ever feel like you need a break, just tell me." He had a million other ways to procrastinate floating around in the back of his mind.

Overcome by her feelings, and still somewhat rattled by her friends' assertions, Megumi leaned over and hugged him. "I hope you get the first seat," she said softly, her chin resting on his shoulder. "I hope you get every single thing that you want, Souma-kun." Then she broke the embrace and looked down at the sand. The the edge of the tide began to wash over their feet.

"You too, Tadokoro."

"Really?" She glanced up at him, shy and cautious as ever. "Because what I want...what I've wanted for a really long time now is...um..."

Souma was watching her closely now, listening intently.

Megumi drew in a breath. She could do this. It was now or never. "The sixth seat!"

"The sixth seat?"

"Yes," she sighed. She was still such a coward. "The fourth seat still seems a bit far fetched to me, but I think I might stand a chance at the sixth."

"Alright! I'll help you crush Takumi, then."

Megumi giggled. "I think this is the closest you've ever come to seeing him as a rival."

"Hey, you're right," he said after considering it for a moment. "But Tadokoro," Souma's tone shifted.

Megumi looked up and met his intense gaze. "What is it?"

"Just hypothetically, how would you feel about being my...um, my taste tester?"

She glanced at him quizzically. Well, that was strange. "I mean, haven't I been your guinea pig since you got to Tōtsuki? Wait...there isn't some strange thing you want me to try now, is there?"

"Nothing too weird," he promised, a sadistic smirk adorning his features. "Just calamari dressed in caramel sauce."

"Get it away from meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Megumi squealed as she ran far, far away.

Once she was gone, Souma rested his head in his hands. He couldn't remember the last time he had failed so spectacularly at something. _His taste tester? Come on!_

Then again, he had the whole year to confess to her, and by the way things looked now, he probably wouldn't manage it before graduation.


	5. Blank With Benefits (Hisako x Hayama)

**Blank With Benefits (Hayama x Hisako)**

"For the last time, Kurokiba," Hayama sent an intense glare the fifth seat's way, "we cannot, under any circumstances, buy the fishing rights to the entire Pacific Ocean."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because, all political debates about ocean privatization aside, that's insane."

"I've gotta agree with Hayama," Souma said, after giving the matter some thought. "We should start with something smaller, like maybe the Mediterranean Sea."

"We can't do that either!" Hayama rubbed his temples. Of all the Elite Ten members, how had he gotten stuck on the budgetary committee with these two? He had hoped that given his humble culinary background at least Yukihira would show some restraint. But alas, as soon as he was able to process how large their budget actually was, the self-proclaimed discount chef began to err on the side of the wildly impractical.

Suddenly, Hayama noticed his phone light up with an unread message. He glanced down at it, tuning out his classmates' half baked points.

 **Arato** : _Erina-sama just left for a tasting. Do you wanna come over?_

 **Hayama** _: Tempting. But I'm stuck at the budget meeting with those two idiots._

"Oi! Are you even paying attention?" Kurokiba raged.

"I don't have to in order to know that what you're saying is ridiculous." Honestly, he'd much rather be with Arato somewhere. Watching her cook, or read, or even organize Nakiri's schedule would be far more pleasant than this. But as of late, he preferred her company to anyone's.

As he thought this, three picture messages arrived in rapid succession. When he opened them, Hayama was met with far more of Arato Hisako than he'd ever had the privilege of seeing. His mouth went dry at the sight of her lying across her rose colored bedsheets. That woman never ceased to amaze him.

 **Arato:** _Are you sure?_

 **Hayama:** _On my way._

He glanced up at Yukihira and Kurokiba who were still entertaining the possibility of buying an ocean. "Meeting adjourned," he said as he started to collect his things. "Do whatever you want." Hopefully international law would stop them. Then, with a speed he did not know he possessed, Hayama Akira all but sprinted to the Nakiri mansion.

After getting security clearance and paying off the guard on duty so he'd leave no record of his presence—some things he would never get used to—he made his way to the third room on the second floor and knocked.

"Come in," she said in a voice of milk and honey.

The lights were low. Hisako sat on her bed in a fluffy white bathrobe reading the Tokyo University medical review. She gave a wanton smile after he locked the door behind him. "That was fast," she noted.

He went to the bed and kissed her, smelled the subtle jasmine fragrance that clung to her skin. She never wore anything like that to classes or at meetings—only when they met in secret. "I am ever at your disposal, Arato," he said close to her ear, and he knew without looking that it made her flush.

"I'm glad you came." She started unbuttoning his shirt, leaving kisses on his marvelously toned chest.

Hayama watched her, half-amazed at her boldness, all his blood rushing to one place. How could this person, as dignified a lover as she was a chef and heiress, think of Nakiri as her empress? Arato Hisako was a queen in her own right.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked with an innocence the moment truly did not warrant.

"No reason." He lifted her up onto his lap, wrenching a soft "kya" from her lips, and started kissing her again. His hands drifted to the sash on her robe.

And then, because the universe was a cruel, cruel entity, his phone started ringing. It was probably Jun. Reading his expression, Hisako heaved a slightly impatient sign and slid off his lap. "Answer it."

 _"Hayama-kun!"_ his guardian wailed into the phone.

"What is it, Jun?"

 _"It's terrible! I-I accidentally deleted the research we're supposed to send in this week. Do you by any chance still-"_

"Don't worry. I have it on a flash drive. But next time, try to be a bit more responsible. You're a Tōtsuki lecturer after all."

 _"Yes, Hayama-kun,"_ she sighed. _"Enjoy the rest of your meeting!"_

Hayama glanced over at Hisako, who had taken up her scholarly journal once again. "I certainly will."

"Everything fine?" she asked, once he'd slipped his phone back into his bag.

"Just Jun being her absentminded self. Now, where were we?"

Hisako straddled him and moved her hips with a slow, circular rhythm. "About here." The seventh seat tilted her head up, mouth slightly open to receive his kisses. She sighed deeply when he started to nibble the sensitive skin on her neck, right above her pulse point. Hesitantly at first, but then with confidence, she slid the robe off her shoulders, allowing him more access to her skin.

But then...

 _"Hisakoooooooooo!"_ the voice sounded from downstairs.

"Nakiri's back early," he said dryly.

"It would appear so." She started to move, and he rested a hand on her upper thigh, keeping her in place.

"You could, in theory, pretend you're not home."

"That would be mean," she sighed. "Besides, Erina-sama hasn't done anything wrong. I'm the one keeping secrets from my best friend."

"Why are you keeping it a secret, anyway?" His fingers drummed against her thigh in a way that made her all the more reluctant to move.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her amber eyes wide and curious. "Do you...want to make this public?" And what on earth would they be publicizing? Was she his girlfriend? That seemed to be the next rational step, but they never really had time to discuss it.

"Do you?"

Did she want to be his girlfriend?

Hisako nibbled a bit on her bottom lip. "Well, what exactly are-"

 _"Hisakooooooooooooooooooo?"_

With a sigh, Hisako walked to her wardrobe and started changing into a fresh uniform. "Never mind. We just have to find a better way to do this."

"Jun is going to be away at a conference this weekend. You should come by."

"I should be free Saturday night," she said as she walked over to the window to see if the coast was clear. She threw it open and then cringed.

"What's the matter?"

"Sadatsuka Nao just licked her lips and waved at me." The dark haired chef was perched on her usual branch. Hisako forcefully pulled the drapes closed. "I've been meaning to challenge her to a shokugeki and get her to stop following me for ages, but in one of the letters she said she fantasizes about getting purified by me again—whatever that means—and-" When she glanced up mid-rant, Hayama was smirking at her in that curious way of his. Why did he keep looking at her like that? "What?"

"I'll handle it for you."

"You don't have to do that," she assured. "That person is my problem."

 _"Hisakoooooooooooooooooooo! Are you here?"_

"It's fine," Hayama told her. "Just get to Nakiri before she files a missing person report."

She hastily covered the hickeys on her neck with foundation and rolled up her knee socks. "I'll send you a text when the coast is clear." Then he would slip out the back door unnoticed, as always. They'd been through this too many times before. After one final kiss that lasted far longer than was necessary, they parted and she rushed down to Erina's room.

"Sorry for the delay, Erina-sama. Was there something you needed?"

"Nope," the Nakiri heiress said. "I just wanted to talk. Were you doing something important?"

"Nothing worth mentioning." The seventh seat gave a fractured smile.

"Say Hisako." Erina shot a tentative glance to the newest volume of her preferred romance manga. "Have you ever kissed anyone?"

"W-why do you ask? Has Sachiko moved forward in her relationship?"

"It's amazing the progress they've made!" The second seat gushed, hearts in her eyes. "But anyway, I was just wondering what it was like. You always seem to know a lot about life, Hisako, so..."

"Hmm..." The girl in question plopped down on one of the Victorian styled chairs. "I would imagine that kissing is fun at first, but after a while it just leaves you hungry for other things."

"Oh." A deep blush colored Erina's cheeks. "You mean p-physical things?" She doubted Sachiko was ready for all of that.

"Physical things," she allowed, knowing well that her friend would probably faint if she knew what she'd just been up to. "But romantic things too, sometimes. The trouble is that even when you know being attracted to someone isn't the same as falling for him, it's easy to lose track of your feelings if you're aren't paying attention."

"I see," Erina said. "There's a lot to this." She flipped through the pages of her manga once again. "How do you know when it's love?"

Hisako leaned back in the chair, her eyes fluttering closed for a brief moment. Was it the first time he acknowledged her cooking, or the first dish he'd made with her in mind? Had his gorgeous green eyes gotten to her, or his arrogant, princely charm? When had it happened? Or had it at all? Was she just deluding herself into thinking she might want more than stolen moments and clandestine caresses? Or was the real delusion the idea that it had ever been just those things. And, most importantly,what did he think of all this? He probably didn't think much of it at all.

She sighed. "Erina-sama, I'll let you know as soon as I find out."

 **Author's Notes:** Situationships are messy, but so fun to write about. Sadatsuka Nao will play a pretty big role in part two of this fic. Also, just for curiosity's sake, how do you guys feel about ErinaxIsshiki-senpai? Yay or nay? I kind of feel bad for leaving her without a love interest. Anyway, thanks for reading, everyone! Reviews are greatly appreciated.

(And now, here's a sneak peak of part two)

" _Arato. She wants the nudes."  
_

 _"How does she know about the nudes?"_

 _"I don't know how she knows about the nudes! But that's the only way she'll agree to the shokugeki."_

 _"What the...well, it's not like you'd lose to someone like that. I trust you."_


	6. Aftermath (Takumi x Ikumi)

**Aftermath** (Takumi x Ikumi...but other couples are featured)

It was 5:29 in the morning. Ikumi winced as she checked the time on her cell phone. Both the bright light and the notion of being up and about so early added to her pounding headache. In the past hour she had received no fewer than ten text messages from Takumi, who always showed up places half an hour early and probably thought she was still asleep. But, given her usual sleeping habits and what had happened the night before, it was a more than fair assumption.

Sluggishly, she made her way out of her taxi and onto the hangar where a private jet waited to take the Mito-Aldini duo to Paris for yet another Elite Ten task. Ikumi boarded, noting that the interior of this one was even nicer than usual—all beige and black leather with reclining chairs and a sectional sofa.

"Good morning, Ikumi-san."

"Morning Aldini." She plopped down onto the chair adjacent to him, and swiveled it so they were facing each other.

"Do you want some coffee?" He held two travel mugs out to her. "There's vanilla and hazelnut."

"Thanks." She smiled for the first time since her alarm clock had gone off. "But Arato told me coffee's actually no food for a hangover." She rummaged around in her purse for a moment and then tossed him a plastic bottle. "Here. Coconut water helps. And I made a breakfast don if you want."

"Really? For me?" To think she'd sacrifice extra sleep at a time like this.

Ikumi looked down, suddenly bashful. "W-well it's not like I made it for you in particular. I just had some extra ingredients so..." Blushing, she handed over the plastic container.

He smiled, somehow knowing what she meant. "Grazie, Ikumi-san."

"Don't mention it." As they took off, she sighed, putting her feet up. She was starving, but the notion of food repulsed her at the moment. "Why did we even go to that Polar Star party?"

"Yukihira and Tadokoro-san persuaded us."

Ikumi chuckled just a little at the memory. No one could ever say no to Megumi, and she had always been a little weak when it came to Yukihira—now less so than before, but the impulse was still there. "You know what really sucks about it?"

"What?"

"In five or six hours, those two are going to wake up, and whichever one of them is less messed up is going to make the other breakfast, and they're gonna spend all day in pajamas watching movies and casually tending to the garden while the rest of us have actual work to do."

"That sounds about right." Takumi laughed and instantly regretted it; it was still too soon for laughter. "But at least now you can say you drank Mimasaka and Kurokiba under the table."

"Only to be done in by Sakaki-san." That woman's tolerance was insane. "So clo-" she paused, yawning a bit. "So close to victory."

"Are you going to sleep?" Takumi asked as he watched her struggle to keep her eyes open.

She took off her letterman jacket and tried using it as a makeshift cover. Naturally, it wasn't that effective. "Maybe for a few minutes, and then we can start planning the menu." Just then, Ikumi felt the weight of an incredibly soft blanket on her.

"Where was this?" she asked.

"In one of the cabinets. I checked before you got here." He'd noticed that the Mito heiress always got cold on flights in her incredibly short shorts.

"You're perfect, Aldini." She'd suspected it for quite some time now, but this somehow cemented the fact.

After a twelve hour flight they reached Charles de Gaulle Airport at 9:40 am Parisian time—time zones were always disorienting. Immediately, a car arrived to take them to the restaurant at which they'd be preparing a meal for a special rehearsal dinner at the world famous Louvre Museum.

Despite all that had happened the night before, both chefs were reinvigorated the moment they stepped into the kitchen.

"Thank you, thank you, chefs of Tōtsuki Academy!" the owner, who'd been in a rough spot when his head chef had to take a personal leave, gushed. They came highly recommended. Even the especially picky owner chef of Shino's had nothing but positive things to say about the esteemed cooking school.

"No problem at all!" Ikumi said. "Has the meat I ordered arrived yet?"

"First thing this morning," he assured. "It's all waiting in the cooler. And what high grade beef. I'm afraid the bride and groom will expect the same quality at the wedding."

"Don't worry about it. The Mito Group can have that arranged with our supplier. The only thing that matters now is the client's satisfaction."

"Quite right," the owner said. "Quite right. As expected of the Mito heiress." He then turned to Takumi. "And you...could you be Monsieur Shinomiya's genius apprentice, this Yukihira Souma I've heard so much about?"

And with that, Takumi seemed to finally lose his will to live. "N-no, I'm just some insignificant person. Don't mind me at all."

Soon the owner departed and Ikumi stood in the kitchen with the shell of the man who was once Takumi Aldini.

"Aldini?" Ikumi lightly patted his cheek. "Hey, Takumi! You alive in there?"

"Once, twice, no ten thousand times over, I will surpass you, Yukihira!" he shouted suddenly, finally free from the defeat that had settled upon him.

"Well, at least you're back to normal," the ninth seat said as she preheated three of the ovens. "Normal for you, anyway."

* * *

 _(Meanwhile at the Polar Star Dorm)_

The ending credits of _Spirited Away_ rolled on Tadokoro Megumi's laptop. The girl in question rested in bed beside her best friend, both of them in pajamas despite the fact that it was nearly 6 pm. "What do you want to watch next, Souma-kun?" she asked.

"I don't know," the first seat glanced at the time. "We haven't really done anything all day."

"You made me your apple risotto earlier," she offered. It had really made her feel less awful. "And I checked on the tomatoes in the garden a few hours ago." She had become the garden's main caretaker after Isshiki-senpai graduated.

"You raise a good point." Souma scrolled through the titles for a minute. "Hey, Tadokoro, have you seen _Naruto: The Last_?"

"No, but I've been meaning to. I think this is the one when he gets together with Hinata..." She paused when she noticed her friend suddenly freeze. "Souma-kun, is something wrong?"

"Just...for a minute there it felt like someone was plotting against me," he explained. "Probably Takumi."

"I wonder if those two made their flight," she said. Megumi selected the movie and the opening credits began.

"Knowing Nikumi, they might have missed it," the first seat predicted. "I wonder if Nakiri Alice and Kurokiba ever got around to their research."

Megumi rested her head on his arm as the film began. "Let's hope so."

 _(Meanwhile at the Nakiri Mansion)_

Erina groaned as she entered one of the kitchens in search of more coconut water. She would never know how some people could party like that on a weekly basis.

"Erina's making old lady sounds," Alice laughed. She sat on the counter, examining the contents of a beaker while Ryou worked away at the stove.

"How are you two so lively?" They had indulged even more than she had.

"Hair of the dog," Ryou explained. Growing up in a pub, he'd seen it work wonders.

"Damn straight!" Alice said.

"What?"

"Erina-sama," Hisako began as she stumbled in wearing shorts and a T-shirt too big to belong to her. "That expression refers to the unfounded belief that a hangover can be cured by drinking more alcohol. The relative comfort they're experiencing right now is just a placebo effect."

"Whatever," Alice sang, and then a mischievous grin spread on her face. "Say, Hishoko. What have you been up to cooped up in your room all day?"

"Sleeping." Hisako's eyes narrowed fractionally. She did not like that expression.

"For fourteen hours?"

"I was tired," she said tersely. "After all, I'm the one who had to get all of you home last night."

Erina looked down, quite ashamed. "I apologize for burdening you, Hisako."

"That wasn't directed at you, Erina-sama!" she insisted. "You're not a burden at all." As she said this, the seventh seat went to the fridge and gathered an assortment of fruit and cheeses, and then took a loaf of fresh bread out from the cupboard.

"Is all of that for you, Hisako?" Erina questioned.

"I'm very hungry this morning–"

"It's after six," Alice interjected.

"And I'm still pretty tired, so I'm just going to take this back to my room and I'll see everyone in the morning." And with that she was gone.

"That was strange," Erina noted. Sometimes it felt like Hisako was making less sense with each passing day. But the Nakiri heiress shrugged the matter off. "I think I'll head back to bed too. See you Alice, Kurokiba."

Once Erina was out of earshot, Alice turned to her aide. "Ryou-kun, do you think Hayama is up there?"

"Most definitely, milady Alice."

"Should we mess with them?"

"We are nearly done with our research," he pointed out.

Alice gave a wicked smirk. The lovebirds wouldn't know what hit 'em.

* * *

Takumi tempered the chocolate in front of him with expert precision. With a wedding menu, any dessert other than the cake would be considered superfluous if not done correctly. There was no room for error.

It was just about time to check the temperature. Just as he was about to search for it, he felt the weight of the cooking thermometer in his hand, Ikumi's fingers brushing against his as she passed it along. "Grazie, amore."

A few minutes later, when his "evolved almond biscotti" sat in the oven, he noticed Ikumi looking at him in a peculiar way.

"Is something wrong, Ikumi-san?"

"Y-you called me something interesting just now."

Recalling it, he immediately flushed. What had he been thinking? It was what his father had always said to his mother whenever she handed him just the thing that he needed. He had just been on autopilot and...and. "I am so sor-"

"W-wait." Ikumi was glancing down again, playing with the sleeve of her letterman jacket. "I mean, if it's you Aldini, I guess you can call me that if you want to. I mean, it sounds a lot better than Nikumi, so...I'm not saying you have to but-"

"I've got it, amore."

Ikumi's heart was pounding incredibly. It was going to take her a long, long time to get used to that. But a weekend together in the city of love might just speed up her learning curve.

 **Author's Notes:** Ladies and gentlemen, Takumi Aldini—fluent in Italian, Japanese, and Tsundere. I hope you enjoyed this fic. For next time I can work on part two of the previous chapter, some Soumegu angst, or perhaps some Shun x Ryouko. Please let me know what you would like. Thanks for reading, everyone!


	7. Planning the Alumni Ball

**Planning the Alumni Ball (SouMegu and Akirako)**

The 92nd generation, overflowing with talent and packed full of unpolished gems, had always been a cohort full of exceptions. It was a class in which students who could have easily been first or second seats three or four years earlier were completely locked out of the Elite Ten Council. It was a class that had overthrown a corrupt school administration and drew strength from the bonds of friendship.

And now it was up to Tadokoro Megumi, sixth seat of the Elite Ten Council and chair of the Alumni and Partners Relations Committee, to ensure that as many of them as possible got the jobs of their dreams.

Humming a tune to herself, Megumi placed a tray of warm chocolate chip muffins on the conference room table alongside a pot of coffee with fresh cream and sugar cubes on the side. Promptly at 7 am, her committee members arrived.

"Good morning Takumi-kun, Arato-san!" she greeted. "Please help yourselves to some breakfast."

"You really don't have to play the host, Tadokoro-san," Hisako said even as she poured herself a mug of coffee.

"It's fine! Especially since I called you guys here so early," Megumi said while she pulled a PowerPoint presentation up on her laptop. A black and white title slide flashed on the projector. The words _Alumni Ball_ were displayed in an elegant, italicized font.

"So," she began. "As we already know, the alumni ball is an especially important event for Tōtsuki seniors because it allows the graduating class to mingle with potential employers and investors." She pressed a button on the clicker and a pie chart showed up. "In the past decade, sixty-eight percent of all Tōtsuki graduates were offered their first jobs at this event. And while Eizan-senpai and the others did a great job planning last year, I think we can do even better."

"You mean not having the second years cook," Takumi sighed. The three of them had discussed it at length already.

"It's all about the cooking at this academy," Megumi pointed out. "A resume can't really stand up to a dish. Every single year, alumni and partners stop in the middle of interviews because they tasted something amazing that a second year made. It's counterproductive, and doesn't help any of the students in the long run."

"It may be in their interest next year, but the second years won't be satisfied with this," Hisako warned. Their tenth seat, the sole representative of the underclassmen, had already told them as much. "Yes, there is the possibility that some of their skills will attract the alumni and partners away from the seniors, but besides the Autumn Moon Festival they don't really get to participate in any events."

"Yes, but I've accounted for that." Megumi fumbled with the notecards in her hands, brushed her bangs aside. "To give the second years more exposure, without having them distract potential employers from the third years, I propose that we create an event in the spring term that's just for them."

She switched slides again. "It would be a cooking tournament. Chefs would enter in pairs and face off against other teams. The winning pair would get early consideration for spots on the Elite Ten Council, and if we open the matches to the public there would be a stronger continuity in name recognition. In the best case scenario, potential employers and investors would follow a Tōtsuki student's career from the Autumn Elections to the Spring Tournament, and then proposition that student in the third year."

"Tadokoro-san, that's brilliant!" Hisako said. "That's Erina-sama level brilliant!"

"I agree," Takumi said. "But our division doesn't have a large enough budget to make that happen. The tournament alone would cost almost as much as the Autumn Elections, and finding chefs good enough to cater the ball who aren't affiliated with Tōtsuki is going to be expensive."

At this Megumi smiled, a pink flush dusting her nose and cheeks. "I don't think we need to worry about the budget. Souma-kun will definitely help us."

* * *

"Sorry, Tadokoro, I can't help you." The first seat scratched the back of his head. He wore a guilty grin.

"Really?" She glanced up at her best friend, her eyes wide. "You don't think it's a good idea?"

"I think it's an amazing idea, one that only you could have come up with," he said. "And I'll definitely pay for the second year tournament with my third of the budget. But as for this month..." He looked up at her sheepishly. "The only one who has any serious cash left is Hayama."

"W-what?" Megumi blinked once, twice, trying to do some calculations. "How did both you and Kurokiba manage to spend that much money?"

"Ah...well. We might've bought a couple dozen lakes. And part of the Mediterranean Sea."

"Souma-kun!"

"Hayama said we could do what we want," he defended. "But, if you want I could offer him another crack at the first seat in exchange for what he has left for the month."

"Oh no, we are not opening that door again." Megumi sighed, rubbing her temples. "Besides, it's my committee. I can't just let you fight all my battles for me."

Souma shrugged. "I've gotta be good for something, right?"

She rolled her eyes, laughing a bit. "Says the best chef at the academy." Then an alarm went off on her phone. "Oh! Emergency strategy meeting. I've gotta run. Wish me luck!"

"You don't need luck," he called after her. "But good luck anyway."

* * *

"So," Megumi sighed. "I'm sorry I got everyone's hopes up, but it seems that we won't be able to get the funds for our new plan so-"

"Yes we will," Hisako decided. She stood up slowly, resting her palms against the conference table. "Don't ask any questions, and don't tell anyone. But the two of you should keep planning as if there were unlimited funds available for this project."

"But how-"

"No questions," she repeated. Then the seventh seat slid on a pair of dark sunglasses—yes, it was November, and no, she didn't care—and then she strolled out of the room. It was mission time.

 _Target: Hayama Akira_

 _Location: Target's Research Facility_

 _Objective: Acquire the remaining funds by any means necessary_

Agent Arato was on the case. Step one, of course, was reconnaissance. In order to determine the best course of action, she would have to accurately gage the subject's mood. She had a simple test that could be conveniently administered via text.

 **Hisako:** _Good morning._

If he responded with _Good_ _morning, beautiful,_ he would be putty in her hands. If he responded with _Morning Arato,_ he'd cave after she started kissing him. Anything else would be a bit of a challenge, but she was confident.

 **Hayama:** _gm._

"Shit," she mumbled. He didn't even bother to capitalize it. The only thing worse than that would have been no response at all.

 **Hisako** : _Long night?_

 **Hayama:** _Extremely._

"Shit!" she said again. Hayama Akira on no sleep was one of the least reasonable, and most irritable people on the face of the earth. But still, she could do this. She had to for the sake of the committee and the entire senior class.

 **Hisako:** _Come to my place. I'll make you breakfast._

 **Hayama:** _No time to eat. But thanks._

Hmm. This would prove difficult indeed. "What would Erina-sama do in this situation?" she thought aloud. Erina-sama would just fund the project herself. Hisako could, in theory, do the same. But the Arato clan would not appreciate her philanthropy in any capacity.

"Hmm...in that case, what would Tadokoro-san do?" Be so sweet and sincere by nature that people—like Hisako herself—wanted to do her bidding? The seventh seat sighed. That would never work for her. She supposed she would have to go with her strengths.

 **Hisako:** _[Insert nagging rant about the importance of food and sleep]_

 **Hayama:** _Noted._

Hisako smiled. He laughed at that. She _knew_ he laughed at that. But she would have to work fast if she wanted to use this window.

Twenty minutes later, Hisako arrived at the third seat's research lab. She found him with a test tube in one hand and an oversized coffee mug in the other, probably willing the lab report to write itself.

"Coffee is a stimulant, not an energizer," she chided, standing in the doorway.

"I thought the nagging was already implied."

"Couldn't resist." She reached into her bag and handed him a flask.

"What's this?"

"A smoothie," she explained.

He unscrewed the lid. "Let's see. Mango, passion fruit, açai-"

"Must you always?" she huffed. It was impossible to surprise him.

"So, you're here on business," he observed.

"How'd you know?"

"You have your Agent Arato shades on." He smirked when he saw her blushing. "What do you need?"

Hisako took a seat on the counter. She crossed her left leg over the right one, and tipped her sunglasses down in a way she hope looked seductive. "Nothing much, really. Just your third of the Elite Ten discretionary budget for this month."

"What for?"

"An elite, non-Tōtsuki affiliated cooking staff to cater the alumni banquet."

"Don't the second years do that?"

"Well, Tadokoro-san thinks it would be better if they didn't. And I agree with her, so I'm asking you to help us."

"It's not that simple. Those two idiots-"

"Both ran out of money, I know," she said. "But if something strange occurs, Headmaster Senzaemon won't leave the council stranded. I know you tend to be risk averse but I think this is something that could make a huge impact, and our legacy as a council shouldn't only be about our own skills so..."

"It's like I'm turning into Kurokiba." With a sigh, Hayama reached into his wallet and pulled out a credit card that seemed to shine with an ethereal light. "Do as you see fit."

"R-really?" Hisako took the card and tucked it into her teal wallet. She hadn't expected it to be that easy.

"I'm too tired to fight with you," he admitted. "Just try not to go crazy."

"Thank you." She stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Try not to work too hard," she warned before making her way back to their Parliament, the Elite Ten headquarters. Her mission was complete.

* * *

It was minutes to midnight. Finished testing his newest dish, a lobster ravioli, Souma ventured out into the Polar Star living room. Last time he checked, she'd been eyes deep in paperwork, sending emails and making phone calls.

"Hey Tadoko-" He found her fast asleep on the floor in a pile of paperwork. A pen rested at her fingertips. Shaking his head, Souma lifted her and started carrying her up the stairs.

Halfway up, Megumi stirred. "S...Souma-kun?" She gazed up at him through bleary eyes. "I have to finish my work."

"Your dreaming, Tadokoro," Souma told her as he turned onto the third floor. "You finished it all hours ago."

"Really?"

Souma placed her down on her bed and pulled the plum colored covers up to her chin.

"Yup." It was a lie, but when she woke up in the morning all the forms would be filled out and all the emails sent. He had to be good for something, after all.

 **Authors Notes:** It's my personal headcanon that Megumi kicks ass as an event planner. Also, most of this was written on my flight from Vienna to New York last night and I'm a little messed up because of jet lag right now so I sincerely apologize for any mistakes! If anyone's interested, later I could write a one shot about the ball and the jobs everyone ends up with. Thanks for reading, and have a great day.


	8. Demons (Souma x Megumi)

**Demons (Souma x Megumi)**

The senior menu management seminar was one of the most challenging courses Tōtsuki Academy had to offer. Each year students mere weeks away from graduation were expelled for failing to meet the notoriously strict professor's expectations.

Megumi released a shaky breath as she placed her newest set menu before the teacher for tasting. "This would be a seasonal menu offered in the summer," she explained.

"A seafood menu." the teacher noted with a neutral expression. "Seems promising, if not a bit tired."

She sampled the grilled squid salad appetizer, her eyes drawing closed as the warm, slightly spicy squid melded with the freshly picked veggies in her mouth. It was remarkable that the lettuce hadn't wilted under the salted calamari and the lemon vinaigrette. Then the professor moved on to Megumi's main dish, shrimp tempura udon with squid ink noodles. The gentle vegetable based dashi blended excellently with the rich and slightly salty flavor of the squid ink. The tempura provided a powerful crunch, but was not at all greasy.

The professor cleared her throat, doing all she could not to cry out. She had already lost it during Yukihira's presentation the previous week. "W-well executed, Tadakoro-san. And what kind of beverage would you have accompany this dish?"

"I would recommend a Pinot Grigio because of the citrus notes, but any white wine or sparkling water should suffice."

"Quite sensible," the teacher said, and then turned her attention to the dessert, a lemon mousse. The fresh flavor cleansed her palate of the flavorful meal while leaving her with a satisfied feeling. She sighed. "I haven't a single complaint. A rating."

"Thank you, sensei!" Megumi cried, and then made her way back to the cooking station she shared with her friend Hōjō Miyako. "It seems I've managed to pass this time."

Miyako rolled her eyes. She couldn't remember the last time Tadokoro had received a failing mark. "You're not on the Elite Ten council for no reason."

Megumi shook her head. It was a fluke. It had to be. "I still think you'd be better suited for it than I am."

Miyako shrugged. "I might try to challenge Mito or Arato for one of their seats eventually." She'd been saying it for months, but her hands were so full so with the Chinese Cuisine RS that she never had the time to pursue it. Casually, she grabbed a piece of calamari off Megumi's plate and popped it into her mouth. "And you've got Yukihira on the brain." She always did whenever she made squid.

"N-no, I just-"

"Where is he today, anyway? You two are usually attached at the hip." It was a bit annoying that she rarely got to work with her friend.

"I don't know. When I left the dorm this morning, he was already gone." Megumi started to nibble on one of Miyako's vegetable spring rolls.

"Hmm..." Miyako glanced at her friend—her beautiful, talented friend who was still far too good for the likes of Yukihira Souma. "Do you think he's cheating? And if so, do you want me to have my RS members rough him up a little?"

"We'd have to be together for him to be cheating, Hōjō-san," she pointed out. And they certainly were not a couple. "And no, it's nothing like that. He's always a bit strange around this time of year."

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific. That person is strange in general to normal people."

Megumi laughed a little. "I suppose that's true." She dipped a spoon into her friend's egg custard tart. "It's just that...he becomes distant, if that makes sense."

"From you?"

"From everyone for a few days, and then everything's normal again." She'd asked a few other people from the dorm about it but no one ever seemed to notice.

"Why don't you just ask him about it?" Miyako questioned.

"I do," she explained, "but he always manages to change the subject before I notice."

"You have to be strong, Megumi!" Miyako pounded her fist on the table for emphasis. "Be firm and direct; stand for no distractions. That's the only way to win against a man in this world!"

"A-against?"

"Sorry." Miyako smoothed her hands over her dress. "I got carried away for a moment there. Just do as you see fit, without hesitation."

"I'll try my best," she promised.

That evening when Souma returned to the dorm, Megumi approached him. "Um...Souma-kun, I copied the notes from class for you."' She handed him the five or so pieces of perforated paper neatly ripped out of her spiral notebook.

"Thanks Tadokoro." He flashed a charming smile her, and now, after years of trial and error on the matter, she could say with certainty that it was fake. "Your handwriting's so nice."

She looked down, grinning a little. No, _no_. This was how it always started. "Thanks, Souma-kun. But is everything-"

"Hey, Tadokoro, I actually have to make up a few things from today's practicums, so I've gotta run. But we'll talk later." And then he was gone, off to the private cooking wing he'd been given after winning the first seat. And although this would seem normal to the average spectator, Megumi knew that he seldom used it because he preferred the kitchen in the dorm.

Megumi sighed and then mounted the stairs to her room. If he wanted to talk to her about whatever was bothering him, he would, and for now it would be best to just let him be. She tried to convince herself that this was true, though years of experience said otherwise.

A bit after midnight, Megumi heard him come in and her willpower granted her the strength to wait all of forty-five minutes before knocking on his door.

"Hey, Souma-kun," she said as she entered. "Do you want to try this new appetizer I came up with this today?"

"Sure Tadokoro." He tasted her calamari and grinned at her. "You actually manage to make this stuff taste good," he joked.

Then Megumi noticed the half packed duffel bag at the edge of his bed. "Are you going somewhere?"

His eyes seemed to darken for a moment, but as soon as she noticed the expression was gone. "Yeah. I was just about to go air out the diner. I should be back in few days. Nakiri and Hayama are probably gonna freak out about all the meetings this week but-"

"You're leaving now?" she asked, her chest suddenly arrested by the fear—albeit irrational—that he would feel disinclined to return.

"In a few minutes. Why?"

"Can I come with you?" she questioned before she could think better of it. "I-I mean, I've never actually seen Restaurant Yukihira for myself, and it is a pretty long way to travel at night so maybe we could split the drive."

"You sure you wouldn't mind missing class?" With the exception of Marui, she had the best attendance record in their graduating class.

"It'll be fine," she said even as she wracked her brain for people to get the notes from in all of her classes. In the back of her mind she remembered her grandmother telling her never to put some boy before her education. "Just give me a minute to pack."

And that, friends, was how everyone's favorite small town sweetheart ended up speeding down the highway at two in the morning. In classic Tadokoro fashion, she fell asleep minutes after Souma started his half of the drive. She woke up to the salmon colored pre-sunrise sky and the quaint sights of Sumiredōri Shopping District.

"Nothing's open at this time of day, but around noon it gets pretty busy," Souma explained as he pulled into a parking space in front of a small storefront restaurant. He opened the door for Megumi and got both of their bags out of the trunk.

"This is it," he explained as they walked towards the familiar bright red awning. "Pops and I live in the flat right upstairs." Then he led her up the stairs and into a small but homey apartment. Megumi thought it was just the opposite of where one would expect to find a world renowned chef and the shining star of the country's top culinary institution.

Souma opened the door to one of the bedrooms, and placed her small suitcase inside. "You can sleep in my room, Tadokoro," he explained. Then he walked down the hall to the other room. "I'll just crash in pops' room." He twisted the doorknob only to find the room locked. "Come on pops!" He knew that the key would be with his dad thousands of miles away.

"I wouldn't want to put you out," Megumi said as she walked over. "I can just sleep on the couch."

And naturally he told her that if anything, he should be the one to sleep on the couch. Megumi glanced at it incredulously. He was entirely too tall for that to make any sense. "W-we could just share the bed," she suggested as her face went crimson. "I mean, it's not like I haven't fallen asleep in your room before."

So after a quick shower, Tadokoro Megumi put on her pajamas, blowdried her hair, and crawled into bed next to the best friend she'd long since fallen in love with. Souma had left her the spot closest to the wall, which was the side of the bed she always preferred. But minutes after she fell asleep, Megumi's face was buried in his chest and his arm had slipped around her waist.

When she woke in the morning—actually, it was well into the afternoon—Megumi found a note from Souma saying that he'd be down in the restaurant. In half an hour's time, she headed downstairs dressed in blue jeans and a black turtleneck sweater. She found Souma mopping the diner's hardwood floors.

"Morning Tadokoro," he said.

"Good morning." She tucked her free flowing hair behind her ears. "Is there anything I can help with?" she asked.

"Would you mind rolling up the gate?" he asked, tossing her the keys.

She did it, and as soon as the metal sheet covering the storefront started to move, people from all over the shopping district started to congregate outside the diner.

 _"Who's that girl?"_ Megumi heard one short haired girl in a high school uniform ask her friend.

 _"Your competition, Mayumi!_ " the other girl giggled.

 _"S-stop! What if she can hear us!"_

"Souma-kun, what's all this?" she asked.

"Sorry, Tadokoro," he said. "I can't open the place for even an hour without the regulars showing up." He tossed an apron with the Yukihira logo her way. "You mind being my sous chef for the day?"

She quickly tied it on. "I'll try my best."

And with that he swung the front door open. The customers immediately started pouring in. "Alright. Restaurant Yukihira is now open for business."

"Yo Souma," a construction worker greeted as he took his regular booth. "Let me have the usual."

"One pork katsu meal coming up."

"Have you brought your girlfriend home, Souma-chan?" An older, bespectacled woman asked. "Who's this pretty thing?"

"This is Tadokoro Megumi," he explained, waving her over. "This girl is the best at Japanese cuisine in the whole academy."

"S-Souma-kun!" she cried. "Don't tell such an extravagant lie."

"Is that so?" the old woman laughed, ignoring Megumi's protests. "In that case I'll have the oyako donburi."

"Yes! Coming right up!" she exclaimed before heading back to the kitchen.

After a few hours the crowd has died down, and Megumi was starting to feel like she had a decent grip of the menu. Souma watched her moving about the kitchen in the graceful, effortless way she did when she was comfortable, and wearing his restaurant's logo as she did. He smiled. "Hey, Tadokoro. There's something I have to get done before six," he explained. "Could you hold down the fort for a few minutes?"

"Sure!" she responded, touched that he would trust her so much with his business. There were only a few customers left and their main dishes were well underway, so she was sure she could handle it. But the sullen look in his eyes had returned. Without thinking, she cupped his cheek in her palm. "Is something wrong, Souma-kun?"

In turn he placed his hand on the top of her head in a rare physical gesture of affection. "I'll be back in a few, Tadokoro."

When he was gone, Megumi brought a piping hot cup of tea and a plate of dango out to one of the older women who knew Souma since he was very young. "Here you go, Tanaka-san," she said. "I hope you enjoy it."

"You're such a sweet girl, Megumi-chan," the woman said, as the girl in question stacked her used dinner plates.

"Thank you, Tanaka-san."

"And you make that boy so happy," she mused, thinking of her own long lost love. "He's usually so depressed come October."

"I've noticed that," Megumi said, before she could stop herself.

"It can't be helped. It was around this time twelve years ago when Yukihira-san passed away."

"Souma-kun's mother?" Megumi asked, although she knew it before the question flew from her lips.

"Yes, love," the woman confirmed. "What a kind soul that one was. This kitchen hasn't really felt a woman's touch since then."

"Oh my..." Megumi's hands were trembling so badly she feared she'd drop the dishes in her hands.

"You take care of that boy for all of us, alright love?"

"Yes ma'am," she replied, her accent slipping out before she could catch herself.

Late that night, after the restaurant was closed for the evening, Megumi rested on what was now officially her side of the bed. She read the increasingly threatening text messages from Erina about their responsibilities as Tōtsuki seniors and Elite Ten members, growing paler with each syllable.

"Is Nakiri mad?" Souma asked as he returned to the room shirtless, his hair dripping from the shower. Megumi could only nod at first, overwhelmed by both the admonishing texts and the sight of him shirtless.

"Irate," she finally squeaked, pulling the covers over her head.

Souma sighed. "We should probably head back in the morning, then."

Megumi peeked out from under the covers, ruffling her hair in the process. "We can stay here as long as you like," she said. "Nakiri-san will...well, she won't understand, really. But I think she'll move past it eventually...I hope."

"You've gotten brave, Tadokoro," Souma observed. He turned the lights off and crawled into bed next to her.

"Not even a little bit," she murmured, mostly to herself. Yes she'd fight demons for him—she'd fight his demons for him a million times over if he let her—but she'd never once found the words to tell him so.

Instead she put her phone on silent, Erina's threats falling upon deaf ears, and snuggled into his chest until morning. She hoped the feelings she had for him could be transmitted skin to skin.

 **Author's Notes:** Happy Soumegu Holidays, dear readers! I have way too much free time on my hands right now, so please let me know if there are any other ships or scenarios you'd like to read about this holiday season. Best wishes, and thanks for reading. Reviews are always appreciated!


	9. Omake: The Christmas Party

**Christmas Omake: A Tale of Two Couples**

Souma and Megumi descended the stairs of the Polar Star dorm on their way to the last Elite Ten meeting before the winter holidays. But, in the living room they were met with the sight of their dorm mates assembled in a semi circle.

"Yukihira, Megumi-chi, take a seat," Yuki instructed. The pair complied, albeit hesitantly.

"This is an intervention," Marui explained.

"Unroll the banner," Yuki whispered to him.

"There is no banner, Yoshino-san," he told her. "That only happens on TV."

"Um, guys," Megumi interrupted, glancing down at her watch. "What exactly are you intervening in?"

"It's about the parties," Shun said sternly.

"The parties?" Souma repeated as he and Megumi exchanged a nervous glance.

"We feel as though they've been getting out of hand lately," Ryouko explained. "We've been throwing one almost every weekend since the summer."

"It was fine back when they were just in Marui's room and all the cleaning was left up to him," Yuki said.

"Just how was that fine, Yoshino-san?" the bespectacled youth questioned.

"But now it's like we barely finish cleaning up the dorm before it gets trashed again," Yuki continued. "It's so frustrating!"

"So with that in mind," Ryouko chimed in, "we're asking that you refrain from offering to host the senior class Christmas party that will inevitably be proposed at your meeting today."

"So no party?" Souma confirmed while Megumi, trying her best not to pout, deleted about a dozen orders from her Amazon cart.

"No party _here_ ," Yuki corrected. "If someone else wants to throw one, we will definitely come and we'll bring snacks."

"Since we don't have a party to plan anymore, I think I'll visit my hometown for the weekend," Megumi said as she slid into the passenger side of Souma's car. "Do you wanna come?"

"Sure. Sounds like fun. Those fishermen in your town know so much about choosing ingredients," he said. "I'm not sure if they like me much, though."

"They like you, Souma-kun. They're just a bit overprotective because they thought..." She blushed. "Well, never mind what they thought. I was this close to ordering ¥20,000 worth of decorations," she confessed as they drove down to Tōtsuki's parliament.

"That would've been bad," the first seat laughed. "But you know, if we had a place to ourselves we'd probably have people over every day."

"That sounds accurate," Megumi agreed, though the thought of their permanent cohabitation put a nervous smile on her face. "Do you think we'd ever get tired of it?"

"Entertaining or living together?"

"Both."

"Probably not," he leveled. "Would you?"

"That depends on how many strange food combinations you force me to try," she joked as they got out of the car.

In the first hour of the meeting they discussed trivial matters, the general running of the academy.

"Now, in terms of our client related tasks," Erina started once the day to day matters had been settled. "Since Aldini will be going home to Tuscany for the holidays, I'll send Mito-san to New York with Hayama-kun."

"But more importantly," Alice chimed in. "Yukihira, you guys are still throwing the party, right?"

"Yeah, about that..." he started. "Our housemates don't really want to host it this time."

"That's fair," Ikumi said. "I'd hate having you guys trash my place every weekend."

"That's fine then," Alice decided. "We'll just have it at the Nakiri mansion."

"We will?" Erina questioned, and the two exchanged a death glare.

"It's the only place big enough, and we can just have a cleaning crew come through the next day," the fourth seat pointed out. "Any complaints, Ryo-kun, Hishoko?"

"You'll just do what you want anyway," Hisako sighed.

"Pretty much," the fifth seat agreed.

"So it's settled!" Alice declared. "Write this down, Ryo-kun. It's going to start at 9:30 on Christmas Eve, and everyone should bring their presents over so we can open them all at midnight."

"That sounds reasonable," Erina allowed.

"And also, Ryo-kun and I are leaving tonight to go skiing in the alps with my parents and we won't be back until the 22nd. So most of the planning and decorating will be up to you, Erina."

"Actually, I have holiday menu tastings until the 23rd, so I won't be much help either," the Nakiri heiress confessed. "Hisako, do you mind too much?"

"Not at all, Erina-sama," she replied, knowing that the three of them wouldn't have been much help anyway.

"Well, with that meeting adjourned, I guess," Souma stated. He and Megumi would have to pack quickly if they meant to catch the evening train to Tōhoku.

* * *

"It couldn't have been Hawaii?" Ikumi lamented as she and Hayama walked briskly up fifth avenue. The sharp, howling wind was about enough to send her back to her hotel room. But as long as they were in New York she was going to get some shopping done.

"Or Tahiti," he added.

"Funny you should say that," Ikumi murmured so low she was sure he wouldn't hear it.

"Who was the Armani suit for?" Hayama asked, trying to deter her from ranting again. He knew that rich people had no common sense as far as purchases went, but the 2,000 US dollars she dropped on it seemed more than a bit excessive.

"Oh, that was for Takumi," she replied breezily, smiling for the first time in hours.

"Are you two..."

"Dating? Yeah kind of," she said with a wry smile. "See how easy that was to admit?"

"I don't know what you're referring to, Mito-san," Hayama replied.

"If you say so," the ninth seat said as she turned towards the Tiffany & Co. on 57th Street. "I have something on hold for my mom in here," she explained.

While Ikumi saw about her order, Hayma glanced around the glass cases filled with expensive jewelry. He hadn't been seriously looking, just casually surveying the things a certain pink haired woman might have liked. But of course, his unlikely travel companion felt the need to jump to conclusions.

"You're out of your depth, Hayama," Ikumi stated once she came over. "She's notoriously hard to shop for, even for me, and we've been friends since middle school. The only person who always gets it right is Erina."

"Don't I know it," he said dryly before the denial instinct kicked in.

"Her birthstone is tourmaline," Ikumi explained, "but she only cares for the green stones. She prefers pearls to diamonds, necklaces and earrings to rings and bracelets, and platinum to silver and gold. She likes things that are elegant but not too flashy, and she hates making a spectacle of herself."

After a lengthy deliberation, he chose the item he thought she would like the best, a pearl pendant attached to a thin platinum chain by the efforts of a tiny diamond of the highest quality. He swiped his debit card—not Tōtsuki's, mind you, but his own—before common sense had its say.

* * *

"Wait. Wait," Alice laughed as she sat on the couch, languidly sipping a cup of tea. She was hiding all the gifts she ordered at the Shiomi lab until the party. "How much did you spend on it? You? Mr. Fiscal Responsibility?"

Hayama rested his head in his hands. "Almost 3,000 USD."

"And what happened?"

"Jun saw it and thought it was for her."

"So you just let her have it?"

"She seemed happy with it. What was I supposed to do?"

"Oh, I don't know? Maybe tell her that you bought it for your girlfriend, and you already got her a different gift," Alice said, her tone slick with sarcasm. "But wait, that would involve telling her that you've had a girlfriend for the past four months and never thought to mention it."

"She's not really my-"

"I don't even want to hear it. You two are ridiculous, and if I didn't get a feeling of satisfaction from keeping Erina in the dark, I would have outed you a long time ago," she revealed before taking another sip of tea. "So are you getting her another one?"

"Of course," he said, even while he browsed through the Tiffany & Co. website. "Maybe not the same thing, but something from that store."

"You can afford that?"

"Not even a little bit," he admitted. "But I have a plan."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Just borrow the money from the Tōtsuki budget."

"That would be fraud, Alice."

"So?"

"So I'd go to prison."

"Oh. Then what are you-"

"I sold my motorcycle," he explained. He'd just buy it back in a few weeks when he raked in the prize money from a few cooking contests.

Alice whistled. "Wow. I hope you guys last."

* * *

 _'Twas the night before Christmas, and like it or not, many seniors were present—and most taking shots._

Hisako sighed deeply as some of the tinsel she'd painstakingly hung up got torn down, and eggnog sloshed out of cups and onto the festive snowman carpet she'd ordered. As she watched the Nakiri cousins receive countless compliments from those in attendance, only one of them attempting to redirect the praise, her desire to crawl into bed and not come out until the new year grew strong.

But then she saw him from across the room, and like clockwork her scowl turned into a smile.

"How was New York?" she asked after he discreetly made his way over to her.

"Expensive and cold," he deadpanned. "But it's a nice enough city. How are you?"

"I haven't slept in 37 hours, my contacts are stabbing my eyes, and I don't have any earrings that go with this dress," she sighed.

"Well, I can solve at least one of those problems." It wasn't Christmas yet, but he handed her the trademark Tiffany blue box that housed a gorgeous but understated pair of pearl and diamond teardrop earrings.

"Oh, I love these!" She exclaimed. Usually she didn't wear jewelry at all, but these were perfect. They'd never get in the way while she was cooking. "Thank you."

And then her smile faded when a jubilant passerby accidentally spilled his whiskey on her dress. She sighed, dabbing at the wet spot with a cloth napkin. "I don't know how Tadokoro-san makes this look so easy."

The pair glanced over to where Souma and Megumi stood at the center of a group of students, holding court as usual.

"There are two types of people," Hayama said decisively. "Do you want to just head upstairs and watch Netflix?"

"That sounds tempting," she admitted, "but you should enjoy the party."

"I hate parties," he leveled. "If you weren't here I'd be at home."

"I think that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me," she laughed. And then when the coast was clear they stole away to her bedroom.

* * *

"No way." Hōjō Miyako shook her head at the latest story of her friends' brief adventures in Tōhoku. "The national table tennis league did not check into your mother's ryokan."

"But they did!" she giggled. A bit of champagne sloshed out of her glass. "And then this one had to go and tell them that I'm a nationally ranked player!"

"She faced off against seven of them and beat five," Souma explained. "And she went up two places on the official list."

"Cute," Alice gushed, as she recorded the scene on her smartphone. "Now take a few steps back, you two."

"What? Why?" Souma asked as they complied.

"Look up," the Nakiri sang. Surely enough, the two found that they were standing directly under a cleverly placed mistletoe. "On behalf of the entire 92nd generation of Tōtsuki Academy, I urge you two to just kiss already!"

The small crowd around them began cheering and clinking glasses at this point.

Souma leaned down and kissed Megumi on the cheek. After this she blushed, a shy smile blossoming on her face.

"Oh come on you guys!" Yuki protested. "You call that a mistletoe kiss?" Then she gently shoved the pair aside. "Marui, get over here!"

Timidly, he came over. "What is it, Yoshino-san?"

"This is how it's done." She then promptly pulled him under the mistletoe and kissed him passionately. "I guess those glasses weren't just for show," she said, clearly satisfied with his technique.

Alice laughed, still recording. She would definitely be playing this at the graduation party.

* * *

Hisako, just waking up, rubbed her eyes. Then she swore softly, knowing that she just smudged her eyeliner. She glanced up at Hayama, whose chest she had been using as a pillow. He had woken up once she started stirring, and met her eyes lazily.

"What time is it?" She wondered aloud.

"6:47," he told her. "The party ended hours ago."

"We're the worst." Hisako then shook her head. She then looked under her bed and pulled out a neatly wrapped gift. "Merry Christmas."

He opened the present and found a very nice pair of flip flops. Also inside of the box were two plane tickets and a note in her cursive handwriting that said _It's summer in French Polynesia._

"I think you deserve a vacation more than anyone else I know," she explained. "Now, there are two tickets but you don't necessarily have to take me."

"Who else would I go with?" He kissed her forehead. "Thank you, Hisako. When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning." And they wouldn't be back until the New Year.

 **Author's Notes:** Merry Christmas, dear readers!


	10. The Royal Gambit (Alice x Ryo)

**The Royal Gambit (Alice x Ryo)**

Once upon a time there was a mountain—tall and lush and shrouded in mist and moonlight. And a man stood atop this mountain and saw that it was good. The man, who was the patriarch of a clan called Nakiri, declared that there he would build his kingdom. And from this mountain, a most prosperous dominion was born.

Hundreds of years later, Tōtsuki, the kingdom of the Nakiri, nearly crumbled under a famine brought on by dark sorcery. At the time of the harvest the crops withered, and for a hundred days not a single drop of rain fell from the sky. But on the morning when the reigning queen of Tōtsuki gave birth to her sole heir, a daughter with hair the color of golden wheat, all of the crops were restored and rain plummeted down from the heavens.

The Princess Erina—endowed with powerful magic, unmatched beauty, and great political shrewdness—possessed perhaps only one defect, an unyielding apathy towards the issue of her marriage.

As she neared her eighteenth birthday all the lords and ladies of the great kingdoms of this world, drawn by her apparent wealth and fabled beauty, implored King Senzaemon—who reclaimed throne after his daughter's most untimely death—to grant their sons Princess Erina in matrimony.

One day, the princess called her closest confidants—all the daughters of great lords of Tōtsuki—to her chambers to reveal a plan.

"I will send each of you to a powerful kingdom in my place," she said. "Pretending to be me, you will survey the lands and their princes and determine whether they are truly worthy of my consideration." She turned to her first cousin. "Alice, you will go to the court of King Saiba-"

"I refuse," the pale haired woman immediately said.

"What? Why?" The princess questioned, momentarily losing her regal countenance.

"Because as a member of the royal household I'm not obliged to do your bidding, Erina," she stated. "I will go to the northern continent, where my mother was born, and see for myself the warrior king who now rules there."

It was the tradition in those lands for a melee to be held upon the death of a king, and the champion of the fray would be named his successor. The rumor was that the current northern king had won his seat when he was only a boy of ten.

"I have no interest in a man who won his crown through bloodshed."

"But I do," Alice sang, dragging her index finger around the rim of her gilded wine chalice. "Some say that those are the only true kings, and the rest stay forever spoilt princes. Will you give me leave?"

"You will take it even if I don't," Erina sighed. It would be better to let her do as she wished and avoid worrying their grandfather.

"You know me so well, Erina," Alice mused, looking quite pleased with herself. "Now, do excuse me. I must go and pack."

Rolling her eyes, Erina turned to the rest of her ladies. "Fine. In that case I will send Lady Megumi to the court of King Saiba. That will probably be entirely more pleasant for the people there."

"M-me your highness?" The girl squeaked.

"Of course." Despite her shyness, she was one of the most formidable ladies in the kingdom. "Also, I'll send Lady Hisako to the court of King Hayama."

"But my princess, I thought he had no male heir," the pink haired woman confessed.

"He has an adopted son," Erina explained. "Apparently a skilled sorcerer." And the princess did not miss how her closest friend, a lifelong student of alchemy, brightened at the news.

"I'll leave right away."

She then sent her other companions, Ikumi, Ryouko and Yuki, on their own missions and retired to her rooms. If the plan worked as she hoped, she'd have an abundance of allies and no royal husband to encumber her.

* * *

Not long after King Ryo returned from his latest hunt, a flustered herald saw fit to disturb him.

"Pardon my intrusion, your majesty-"

"The hell do you want?" he snapped.

"The Princess Alice of Tōtsuki demands an audience."

"Princess what of who?"

"It is a prosperous kingdom to the southeast of us, your majesty," the herald explained.

Ryo considered this for a moment. "Who told her to come here?"

"No one, your majesty, but she is quite impatient."

When Ryo entered the dark throne room he was met with the sight of a slight, well dressed thing with hair the pale color of moonlight.

"That was quite long to keep a lady waiting," she quipped, her arms crossed. "Will you not even offer me a chair?"

"You see any chairs in here?" the warrior king questioned.

Then, without preamble, the young woman climbed the stone steps leading up to the only seat in the room—the throne—and settled into it. "Ahh, that's much better," she sighed.

The palace guards all reached for their halberts and the young king's dark eyes narrowed at her insolence. "I'm not sure what kind of place Tōtsuki is, princess, but that kind of thing will get you killed up here."

She crossed one leg over the other, and deliberately pulled out her wineskin. "And yet I still breathe." She took a languid sip of the spiced wine she brought with her.

Ryo sighed. Here in his kingdom, where even the most seasoned warriors trembled before him, this woman stared him in the face without an ounce of fear. "What is it that you want?"

"I want you to help me find and tame an ice dragon," she explained.

Ryo scoffed. He should have expected as much. "All you southern girls think those things are pets. They're deadly."

Alice gave a disarming laugh. "I don't want it for my menagerie," she explained. "There is a man I need dead as soon as possible. He wields magic, and I require a greater magic to vanquish him."

"Who?" the king asked, suddenly intrigued by the sadistic fire in her blood red eyes.

"My uncle."

"Why should I involve myself in your familial disputes?"

"Because you are powerful and you are bored," she revealed. "And I know well the old northern law. If I defeat you in a contest, you will be obliged to help me."

"What could you possible best me at? Cooking?"

"Oh, I'd destroy you in a shokugeki," she declared.

"A what?"

"Oh my, for a king you are quite ignorant of foreign customs," Alice mused. "But I had something else in mind."

The king considered this. "I'm listening."

* * *

Alice arrived on the training field wearing light, leather armor and a long cloak of purple velvet. Many of the courtiers had gathered, curious of the foreign maiden who thought she could best their king in an archery contest.

The target was set one hundred and fifty meters ahead of them, and with the winter fog that shrouded the grounds it was nearly impossible to see. King Ryo shot first and managed to hit the ninth ring, only a matter of centimeters from the center.

Alice smirked. "That was better than I expected," she noted, giggling. "Truly. You might actually beat me in a fair fight."

"You can talk after you've gone," he replied, beginning to grow used to her attitude.

"I suppose you're right." Then Alice brandished her bow, one in the most modern design available in the known world. She whispered an incantation that neither Ryo nor the members of his court had ever heard before, and her arrow began to glow silver.

The arrow hit the center of the target with resounding thump, and spectators fell silent.

Alice turned to King Ryo, smirking. "Did I forget to mention it? That I'm the best marksman in all of Tōtsuki Kingdom, even without my magic."

"I'm surprised someone like you can even nock a bow."

"How rude," she sang. "Although I can see why. My cousin Erina is completely useless when it comes to fighting, and most other things, to be honest."

Ryo sighed. A promise was a promise. "So when do you want this dragon?"

"As soon as possible."

"Alright. We leave at dawn."

* * *

 _"So, what do you think?" Alice questioned, looking up from her laptop eagerly. This was the first time she'd read anyone her draft._

 _"Who's useless at everything?" The second seat barked._

 _"It's just fiction, Erina," her cousin giggled. "I'm so glad I chose the creative writing class as my non-cooking elective."_

 _"If it's fiction then at least change the names! And also, this is going to be a fantasy romance story, right?"_

 _"Obviously."_

 _"Then why'd you send Hisako to Hayama's kingdom?"_

 _"That's the part you care about?" Alice groaned. "Not my heroism?"_

 _"A mean, the self-aggrandizement was a bit much-"_

 _"Nobody asked you, Erina!" the fourth seat huffed._

 _"You literally said listen to my short story and tell me what you think."_

 _"You were supposed to say good things," she grumbled. "But I guess a mean person like you could never do that."_

 _Erina sighed, rolling her eyes. "It was a bit cute, though, that you made Kurokiba-kun a king."_

 _This put a smile on Alice's face. "That part wasn't fiction."_

 **Author's Notes:** Happy New Year, dear readers! So, in my real life I'm trying to write a medieval fantasy novel. I was working on it over the weekend and then this just kind of happened. What do you think about the story within a story thing? If you guys like it, I could put a few other characters in this creative writing elective and throw an AU chapter in every now and then. Please keep letting me know what you're interested in reading. Thanks for your time, everyone, and have a great first week of 2017!


	11. Observations (Hisako x Hayama)

**Observations (Hayama x Hisako)**

Hayama Akira was supposed to be watering the plants or balancing the budget, among a million and six other things. But instead he was watching her cook in his kitchen with an odd sense of satisfaction. There was something graceful about the way she stood on her tip toes in her black knee socks to reach the higher cabinets, and then spun back to her dish on the stove. And the slow burning passion behind her amber eyes reminded him of a queen militant preparing for battle.

She turned around and faced him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

He was looking at her that way because even though she had asked to use one of his kitchens because she couldn't focus at the Nakiri mansion, all he could think about was taking her up to his room. But of course he couldn't tell her that, not while she was planning to snatch the fourth seat of the Elite Ten Council from Nakiri Alice.

"The fragrance would be better if you used anise instead of cicely." It was true, but the difference was honestly negligible.

"Hmm..." Hisako considered this, weighing it against cicely's medicinal properties. "I guess you're right."

While her sauce simmered on the stove, she bent down to grab her purse—her lacy black panties flashing as she did—and pulled out a small blue notebook. She leaned on the counter and made a quick change to the recipe she had planned. Then, as she went back to the beef cuts she'd left to marinate, she felt his eyes on her again.

She sighed; this was her woe as a person constantly surrounded by geniuses. "What else is wrong with it?"

Hayama shook his head, resisting the urge to start kissing her. "I might have gone with a mirin instead of the shaoxing wine, but it really doesn't matter."

"That would create a slightly sweeter flavor," Hisako admitted. She made another little note in her recipe book. While the beef was marinating in the wine and an original spice blend, she pre-heated the oven.

As the heat from the stove top started to rise, Hisako discarded her blazer and opened the first few buttons on her blouse. Then she started to slice and season an eggplant.

After a few minutes she sighed, turning to face her...her boyfriend? Friend with benefits? Not-all-that-significant other? They would really have to figure this out eventually, preferably after she took the fourth seat.

"You're just like Erina-sama," she huffed, pouting a little. Her hands rested on her hips. "What is it now? Should I have used the orange habanero pepper instead of the Scotch Bonnet? You know it's meaningless if I can't beat Alice by myself."

Aaaaaaaand as cute as she looked when she was concentrating, Arato Hisako was downright sexy when she got mad. Why was he like this? "You're right," Hayama said. "You know what, Jun probably forgot to pick up her order of fennel pollen from the lab downtown. I'll go get it and leave you alone for a bit."

"Oh." Hisako nibbled her lower lip. She hadn't expected to win the argument so easily. "I mean, I don't want to put you out of your own place-"

"It's fine," he said. If Hisako knew the things that had been running through his mind while she was being serious, she would be seriously pissed. "I'll be back in an hour or two."

Half an hour later, when the beef was in the oven and the eggplant simmering on the stove, Hisako glanced up at the clock. This would have been the perfect time for a quickie. If only Hayama hadn't left so soon.

She decided to explore the Shiomi lab for a bit and soon ended up watering about a dozen neglected spice plants. As she sprayed their dry leaves with water, someone entered the room.

"I completely forgot about the plants! Thank you so much for watering them!"

Hisako turned with a start. In all the times she'd visited the lab, she'd never encountered the lecturer who owned it. "There's really no need to thank me, professor. I just got a little bored waiting for my dish to finish." In retrospect, it was a good thing that Hayama wasn't around for a quickie.

Shiomi Jun gave a little bow before adjusting her glasses and getting a better look at the person in front of her.

"Oh, you're on the Elite Ten Council with Hayama-kun, right? But I think this is the first time we're meeting."

"Y-yes, my name is Arato Hisako. It's a pleasure to meet you." Hisako tried her best to keep her composure, suddenly remembering the underwear she had misplaced in the next room a few weeks prior. If this poor innocent woman only knew the sinful things she had done in her research facility.

"I can finish these," Jun said, referring to the plants. "Come sit down. I'll make you some tea. I can't believe Hayama-kun has his guest here doing housework. Where is Hayama-kun anyway?"

"Um, he said something about getting fennel pollen."

"WAHHHH! I forgot about the fennel pollen, too!" Jun sighed, almost visibly shrinking. "What am I going to do when Hayama-kun graduates?"

"If you don't mind me asking, what scheduler do you use?" Hisako questioned.

"What?"

"I've found that while Outlook is the best for business meetings and such, Google Calendar is more compatible with day to day errands if you're not partial to Apple products."

Jun blinked a few times, feeling as though she'd just happened upon an amazing person. "Oh...well, I tried writing things down in a planner, but my last one fell into a pot of curry...five years ago."

Hisako glanced down at her phone to check the time. "Okay...give me a second to finish with the dish I'm testing out, and then I can show you what I mean."

"Yes, please do! But if you have the time," the lecturer said. "I know how busy you Elite Ten members are. Some nights Hayama-kun doesn't get back until three or four in the morning."

Hisako bit her lower lip, fighting down a blush as she remembered those nights acutely. She would have never believed that a person more innocent than Erina existed. "Y-yes well, it's no problem. I'll just be in the kitchen."

By the time Hayama returned to the Shiomi lab, the sound of laughter was flowing from the kitchen. Hisako stood by the counter, plating her latest version of her dish for the shokugeki she hadn't yet gotten her opponent to agree to. Jun sat at the table hunched over an expensive looking tablet with an expression of wonder on her face.

"What's happening here?" Hayama asked, trying to read the seventh seat's expression.

"Nothing, nothing." Hisako's grin turned into wicked little smirk. "I just had no idea that you were _always_ this bossy."

"Do I even want to know what that comment refers to?"

"Nope." Hisako brought a plate over to Jun, purposely brushing against the lecturer's assistant as she did. "This time I decided to pan fry the eggplant to complicate the dish's texture."

Jun glanced at the artful plating with wide eyes. She could hardly fathom that someone this talented was only the seventh seat. As soon as she tasted it, she was filled with an unfathomable vitality—as though she'd received the blessing of an earth goddess. Suddenly she felt like she could swim the English Channel, climb Mount Everest, kick Saiba-senpai's ass to kingdom come, and still have enough time and energy to finish her experiments.

"A-amazing!" she said. "When is the shokugeki?"

"She hasn't accepted the challenge yet," Hisako explained. "She says I don't have anything she wants."

"Oh, that's-" Just then a notification flashed on the tablet, reminding her that a lab report was due in twelve hours. "Already? Well, it seems I have to get to work. Good luck, Arato-chan!"

"Thanks professor Shiomi!"

"Call me Jun!" the lecturer insisted before taking her leave.

"Why do you get to call her Jun?" Hayama joked as he closed the distance between them.

"I'm more likable than you are," she quipped. Then Hisako made her way back to the stove wearing a pensive expression, all business again. "I think I'll swap the beef for venison to create a more refined flavor."

"What are you going to do if Alice doesn't accept the challenge?" Hayama asked her.

Hisako felt her face begin to heat up, but she met his eyes with a look of proud defiance. "I don't know. Maybe I'll challenge you," she teased.

Hayama leaned down and kissed her, resting his hand on the small of her back. After reciprocating for awhile, Hisako pulled back.

"What are you doing?" she whispered. "Professor Shiomi is in the next room."

"Jun's even more oblivious than Nakiri," he dismissed. Then Hayama took out his phone and started texting someone. Less than a minute later, Hisako got a phone call.

 _"Oooooh...I don't know how you managed that, Hishoko, but you've got your challenge,"_ the fourth seat all but sang into the phone.

"Alice? What are you-"

 _"A week from today. 7 pm. I look forward to beating you."_ And with that the Nakiri promptly hung up the phone.

Hisako looked down at her phone and then up at Hayama, more confused than she'd been in a long time. "What did you just do?"

"I told her that if she beats you, she can have my third seat," he explained.

" _What_! Why would you-"

"Because you work best under pressure." He smirked at her, and Hisako rolled her eyes. They couldn't be honest with one another if their lives depended on it. "My fate is in your hands now, Hisako. Until I grab the first seat from Yukihira, anyway."

"That's a direct violation of the Tadokoro truce," she laughed."But in that case, I better go buy some venison cuts." She grabbed her purse and put on her jacket. "Goodnight, Akira. And thank you."

He kissed her one last time, in the doorway while Jun's head was turned. "Goodnight."

When Hayama closed the door behind her and walked back into the lab, Jun glanced up from her paperwork. Her eyes were sparkling, which was almost never a good sign.

"Hey, Hayama-kun," she started. "Do you have a crush on Arato-chan?"

He glanced at her casually. "What makes you ask that?"

"Well, from the moment you came in, you never took you eyes off her. Not even once." She was sure that she'd never seen him look at someone that way.

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"If you say so," the lecturer allowed, turning back to her laptop. "But if you care about her, just be honest. For all you know she might feel the same way."

 **Author's Notes:** Hello again, dear readers. I'm kind of stalling on a conclusion for the shokugeki because I'm honestly not sure who would win. Alice and Hisako are pretty evenly matched in the context of this story because _1) Ryo was originally the fourth seat but he gave it to Alice because he loves the crap out of her_ and _2) Hisako is a better cook than Megumi but she wouldn't challenge her because she's a precious cinnamon roll._ So in terms of skill levels, it's more like a sixth seat challenging a fifth seat than a seventh seat challenging a fourth seat. Who do you think would win? And would you like to see the conclusion in an upcoming chapter? Thanks for reading as always, and reviews are greatly appreciated!


	12. Omake: Flash Forward

**Flash Forward: The First Year(Omake)**

 **Author's Notes:** This extra chapter is a little next generation story, centered on the children of the pairs discussed in this fanfic. It isn't part of the main story, but I decided to post it here anyway. Thanks for reading, everyone, and have a great day! Also, please feel free to ask questions if anything is left unclear.

Two days ago, Yukihira Midori, a girl of fifteen, had been helping her grandmother out at her little country inn. She had greeted the guests, contacted the usual vendors, and replaced the tatami mats—everything one would expect from a girl whose mother was the head of Japan's most exclusive tourism empire. But, like her parents and grandparents before her, Midori loved cooking above all things.

And that was why she left the simple life she knew—punctuated, of course, by wild overseas adventures with her dad and grandpa Jouichirou—to attend the greatest culinary academy in Japan.

Despite the crazy stories her father had told her, Midori found the admissions process fairly normal. She prepared a dish and was interviewed by the school's new headmaster, Doujima Gin, who just happened to be an old friend of her grandfather's and her mother's former boss.

The real trouble began in the evening when, after a quick trip to the grocery store and a long trek through the woods, she reached the Polar Star dormitory.

"Hello?" She called as she opened the front door. In contrast to the lively palace of food her parents had described, the dorm was dark and ominously quiet. "Is anyone there?"

"Is that you, Yukihira?" a voice called from the stairwell. "Don't tell me you finally decided to bring your ass over to Tōtsuki."

"Mizuki-chan?" Midori narrowed her eyes a bit, and sure enough her old friend Hōjō Mizuki was coming down the stairs carrying a cardboard box. "It's been awhile! Am I still supposed to take the dorm entrance exam tonight?"

"Don't bother with that." The heiress of Hōjō-Ro bent down and started to seal the box with tape. "Just sleep in an empty room tonight. We all have to clear out of the dorm by Tuesday."

"What? Why? Is there an insect problem or something?"

"Not in so many words." Mizuki scowled. "The _princess_ ran out of rooms at her castle, so now she wants the dorm for her followers."

Midori wore a blank expression. Ah. There was the crazy shit her father had been talking about. "Wait, who are we talking about here? Is this a Nakiri thing?"

"Might as well be," Mizuki snorted. "Since the god tongue's goddaughter thinks she's academy royalty."

Just then another girl came in, wearing round glasses and red ribbons in her dark hair. "Oh! Midori-chi is here!" she exclaimed, rushing to hug the friend she hadn't seen in over a year.

"It's good to see you too, Yuna-chan." Midori awkwardly patted the shorter girl's head.

"It's too bad we're about to lose the dorm. I know! Maybe the three of us can all get an apartment together."

"So does that mean your dad couldn't help us?" Mizuki questioned. Yuna's father, Marui Zenji, was a professor at the academy and an alumnus of the dorm, so they had hoped he would hold some sway.

"Nope. It's true what mama always says—his glasses are only for show." Yuna sighed. "Elite Ten members have free reign. The only way to stop this is a shokugeki, but it's hopeless because all the best cooks in our year are part of the Hayama faction! Well, except for Ibusaki-kun, but nobody knows where he is! This is so frustrating, Midori-chiiiiiiii!"

"The Hayama faction?" Midori repeated with an incredulous countenance, still half-heartedly petting Yuna. The surname sounded vaguely familiar.

Mizuki rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Yukihira. Even hiding out in the boondocks you must have heard of Hayama Akane."

* * *

Mere minutes after her flight touched down in Tokyo, Akane's phone started buzzing with unread emails from alumni wanting to RSVP for the "Friendship and Rapport" training camp. Her first year of high school hadn't even officially started yet, and already she found herself inundated with the Elite Ten Council's grunt work.

"I guess it can't be helped," the new ninth seat sighed as she struggled to get her sleek luggage set off the baggage carousel. As soon as she cleared customs, Akane was greeted by the sight of her two best friends—Nakiri Erik and Isabella Mito-Aldini—waiting for her.

Erik, a pale haired boy with intriguing ruby colored eyes, held up a sign that read _Welcome Hishoko II_.

Akane scowled at him. "I will hurt you," she warned as he took her two large suitcases from her. "Oh. And don't forget to call your mom. You know what always happens."

"Looks like Dubai hasn't improved your sense of humor, huh princess."

"Shut up, Erik."

"Leave her alone. She's tired," Isabella chided as she grabbed her friend's smaller hand luggage. "How was your trip, Akane-chan?"

"It was nice. My dad discovered a new spice cultivation method, and my conversational Arabic improved a bit." With her hands free, Akane started reading and responding to her emails in earnest. No fewer than six talented students chefs were inquiring about rooms at the Nakiri mansion. She groaned. "Bells, do we have the Polar Star yet?"

"Hōjō Mizuki and her people keep posturing," Isabella explained as the three piled into the car that had come to collect them. "We're meeting with them tomorrow. But don't worry. Over break I shadowed my mom at a bunch of business meetings, so I've got the whole tough negotiator thing down pat."

"Just try not to stomp on anyone's designer boots this time," the pink haired girl warned, acutely remembering the lawsuit she had to convince Kawashima Utau not to file.

"I still maintain that announcer girl had it coming," she murmured. "But you're right. No physical contact."

* * *

"Mizuki-chan," Midori said as they stood outside of the on-campus Nakiri mansion. "Why do they want the dorm, again?"

"They ran out of space."

"They ran out of space _in_ _here?"_ The place was massive.

"It's like we said," Yuna chimed in. "Hayama Akane and her clique are drafting all the best cooks in our year into their group. The Polar Star has been the last line of defense for people who want to stay independent."

Once they cleared security, the three girls were led into a drawing room where tea and pastries were waiting for them.

"Hello Hōjō-san, Marui-san," a voice greeted. On the couch sat a girl with shining green eyes and long flowing hair the color of sakura blossoms. She wore pearl stud earrings and sat with one ankle gracefully tucked behind the other. "Oh, and who might you be?" she asked with a smile that was almost predatory.

"Midori," she replied coolly, sizing her up. She'd bet anything that a person like this would have heard of her father. That might make things difficult. "Saiba Midori. I just transferred into the high school division."

"Saiba?" Yuna whispered, as Mizuki shushed her.

"A transfer? That's rare," Akane noted, as she poured tea for everyone. "And you were planning on staying at the Polar Star. I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience. Let us know if you need any help finding new housing."

"You'll find that we're well connected," the girl next to Akane, a blonde, added before turning to Mizuki. "Now do we really have to waste time with a shokugeki? How many times have you lost to me already, Hōjō-san? Twelve? Thirteen?"

Mizuki's cheeks reddened with fury. "Things are different now."

"I doubt that," Isabella mused.

"Let's be reasonable, ladies," Akane said to the Polar Star trio with a hair flip and a condescending air. "It doesn't take a nose like mine to smell the fear on you. Do you even have anything of vale left to wager?"

"There is the Chinese Cuisine RS," Isabella noted with a smirk. "I could use the space to expand my Italian Research Society."

"Cut the crap!" Mizuki said. Both of her parents had been presidents of the Chinese Cuisine RS. "I'd wager my enrollment before I put the RS on the line."

"How noble," Isabella deadpanned. "But your expulsion is worthless to us."

"Bells be civil," Akane said in a breezy, disingenuous tone. Then she looked Mizuki dead in the eye with the cold stare a bird of prey sizing up its next meal. "If your spot at the academy is all you have to offer, we'll gladly take it from you." She then stood and beckoned her friend to do the same. "Please take a few minutes to think it over."

As soon as they were out of earshot, in one of their private kitchens, Isabella and Akane nearly keeled over with laughter.

"Oh my god!" Akane wiped a tear from the corner of her eyes and fanned her face. "I love it when you play the bad cop."

"I was the bad cop? You're the one who went all 'it doesn't take a nose like mine' on them. The new girl probably thinks we're crazy!" Isabella was clutching the side of the counter.

"Do you think we scared them enough to make them drop the match?" Akane asked.

"I hope so. I'd rather just hit the spa this weekend, to be honest."

"I'm right there with you." Akane took a deep breath and then glanced at her slim silver watch. "Alright. We should probably get back in there."

When the pair went back into the drawing room, the transfer student stood, glaring at them. "If it's fine with you two, I'll be the one to fight for the Polar Star dorm."

The Hayama girl narrowed her eyes. "You'd forfeit your spot just a day after getting it?"

"Somehow I imagine I'll be alright, princess." Then Midori turned to Isabella. "Your specialty is Italian cuisine, right?"

Isabella smirked. "That would be putting it lightly."

"Then that can be the theme," she decided. "When are we doing this?"

"Three days from now," the Mito heiress said. "That should give you all enough time to pack."

* * *

Late that night Midori sat in the Polar Star kitchen amidst dozens of recipe trials. A few hours prior, Yuna had fallen asleep on the floor, full from taste testing and completely exhausted. And after that Mizuki had succumbed to her own fatigue and retired to her room.

While she was revising her seafood risotto one last time, Midori got a call from home.

"This is all your fault," she said.

 _"That reaction already?"_ Her father laughed. _"I didn't expect you to be up at this hour. How do you like the campus so far?"_

"It's too big. It takes over an hour to get anywhere."

 _"Yeah, that sounds about right. Do you want me to send you some money to buy a bike or something?"_

"Don't bother," Midori laughed. "I might be expelled in two days. Don't tell mom, though."

 _"First shokugeki?"_

"Mhmm."

 _"Against who?"_

"This Italian girl. She's supposed to be a big deal on campus. Isabel Mito-Aldini or something like that."

 _"That's insane."_

"Oh, how come?"

 _"My first shokugeki at Tōtsuki was against her mom. I almost got expelled, too."_

"Well, that's reassuring."

 _"Who's getting expelled now?"_ Midori heard her mother ask in the background.

 _"No one is, Megumi,"_ her father assured. _"But wow. I never thought Takumi's kid would be the mean girl."_

"She's just the sidekick," Midori dismissed. "The person I really want to face off against is this chick, Hayama."

 _"Now that makes more sense,"_ Souma said.

"What does?"

 _"Nothing, nothing. Just win this battle before you start planning the next one._ _Oh and Midori?"_

"Yes?"

 _"If you let yourself get expelled at this stage, your chances of ever surpassing me are slim to none."_

"What the-" Midori's tirade was stopped prematurely when her father hung up the phone. What kind of encouragement was that supposed to be? She signed and then turned back to her latest dish. She still had a long way to go.

* * *

Akane and Erik sat comfortably in their usual box at the main shokugeki stadium.

"Do you think Auntie Erina still remembers how to get here?" she asked.

"Isn't it kind of strange that we both call her auntie?" The pale haired youth questioned.

"Really?" She looked up from her tablet. "I mean we're almost like siblings so..."

"Is that really the kind of relationship we have?" The Nakiri mused in a voice so low she couldn't quite catch it.

"Oh, did you call your mom yet?"

"No, I keep forgetting. Why?"

Suddenly Erik's phone started ringing. Tepidly, the Nakiri heir answered the call.

 _"SO YOU REALLY WEREN'T GOING TO LET YOUR MOTHER KNOW YOU MADE IT BACK TO JAPAN SAFELY?"_

Erik had to turn the volume all the way down hold the phone away from him to prevent inner ear damage.

Akane shook her head. Some people just had to burn to learn.

"Pops, it's too early for all that yelling," he said lethargically. "It sounds like I have you on speakerphone."

Sometime in the middle of this largely one sided argument, Nakiri Erina, the head of the entire Nakiri Group, entered the luxury box that once belonged to her.

"He forgot to call Alice again, didn't he?" she asked.

"He always does," Akane replied. "How's mom?"

"She misses you and sends her love," Erina said. "And the Harvard lecture series seems to be going well. So who are we fighting against today?" She asked once she saw Isabella setting up her station. Akane's faction was almost as aggressive in its pursuit of cooking space as her own had been back in the day.

"Just some upstart transfer student. I think she said her name was Saiba."

Erina's eyes widened when the challenger entered the stadium. The girl was the spitting image of her mother. "No it isn't, sweetie."

"What?"

"Ladies and gentlemen," Kawashima Utau, the emcee announced, "today, for control of the Polar Star dormitory, Isabella Mito-Aldini faces off against brand new transfer student Yukihira Midori! The theme is Italian food, and if Yukihira-san loses today, she forfeits her spot at the academy."

"Yukihira!" Akane exclaimed as she watched from her booth. She turned to Erina with a frantic look in her eyes. "As in _Yukihira Souma_?" Some people called that man the greatest chef alive.

Erina could only give a sympathetic smile.

Almost inevitably, Yukihira Midori won the shokugeki 3-0. And as the judges cast their votes for her evolved seafood risotto, her honey colored eyes met Akane's. She gave a little finger wave and mouthed the words 'hey princess.'

Akane rolled her eyes. "Oh well. Her pedigree aside, a conspicuous person like that won't last long at this school."

Erina gave a little chuckle at this. Sometimes it seemed like her goddaughter was a bit too much like her at that age.

But then Akane stood. "Excuse me for a minute, auntie," she said. "I have to make sure Bells is okay. But we're still on for dinner, right?"

"Of course, sweetie." Erina smiled as she watched her go. It seemed that this generation would be alright after all.


	13. Daigo and Shoji Aim for the Top

**Daigo and Shoji Aim for the Top**

It has all started a few weeks ago. As they did almost every day, Aoki Daigo and Sato Shoji kicked open the door to Marui's room carrying a six pack of beer and a set of wireless speakers. However, instead of the beleaguered, bespectacled youth they loved to impose upon, they found none other than Yoshino Yuki on the bed. She was in a robe with her hair down, flipping through a hunters' magazine.

She glanced up at them. "Marui went to a seminar meeting or something. He'll be back later."

"Y-Yoshino!" Shoji said. "What are you doing here?"

"The hens are nesting in my room," she said with a grin. She was one generation closer to breeding her Polar Star chickens. "I gave them the bed so they'd be more comfortable."

"So you've been sleeping in here? With Marui?" Daigo questioned.

"Mhmm." She flipped to the next page. "At first I wanted to stay with Ryouko, but Ibusaki-kun kept coming at night."

"WHAT?"

When the hell had _that_ happened? When had Marui and Ibusaki ever had that much game?

On a different evening the pair sought out Tadokoro Megumi to have her judge the dishes in one of their usual quarrels. They found her on the balcony of the dorm, grilling fish and stargazing with Yukihira. She held a cup of Sakaki's ever suspicious rice juice and giggled at something Souma said.

Before Megumi even saw them, the first seat flashed them a get-the-fuck-out-bro kind of look. And with a cordial nod the pair retreated.

"Is it just me," Shoji started, "or did all our housemates just pair up?"

Daigo gave his friend an uncertain look. "Does that mean we're a pair now?"

"Hell no!"

"Why? What the hell is wrong with me? You're the one with the worst palate in the dorm!"

At this Shoji rolled up his sleeve. "You wanna try saying that again?"

"Why? Is your hearing as weak as your cooking skills?"

After this a short scuffle ensued, followed by a more drawn out cooking contest. Several hours and countless dirty dishes later the two friends sighed, coming to a conclusion simultaneously.

"We have gotta get ourselves some girlfriends."

* * *

One day, after coming home from an Elite Ten meeting, Souma and Megumi found their dorm mates in the living room among a slew of charts and documents.

"What's all this?" Megumi questioned.

"We're aiming for Tōtsuki's top!" Daigo declared.

"We won't be left behind!" Shoji added.

"I knew this day would come." At this Souma smirked, tying on his trademark headband. "Are you challenging me one at a time, or together? I'm not sure academy rules would let both of you be the first seat if you win."

"The first seat?" Daigo said. "Nah, you can keep that."

"We're aiming for something much greater," Shoji said.

"What would that be?" Megumi asked.

"We're going to try and get a date with the best girls at Tōtsuki!"

"Well, of the ones that are available," Shoji amended. Though they were pretty tough, they weren't in the mood to get into any fights. With that in mind, Nakiri Alice had been knocked off their shortlist almost immediately.

Souma and Megumi exchanged a glance. This probably wouldn't end well.

"Who exactly?" The first seat asked, as "best" was a very subjective superlative.

"Nakiri Erina and Arato Hisako." In addition to being extremely attractive and some of the best cooks at the academy, those two were honorary Polar Star girls thanks to the Central controversy in their first year.

"Nice." Souma nodded in approval. Their chances were slim to none, of course, but it was always nice to set a lofty goal.

"W-well, at least they aren't seeing anyone," Megumi said, trying to be positive. At least she thought they weren't. "Oh, I know! Nakiri-san was saying today that she wanted to go to that pop up carnival that's coming to town. I'll ask if they want to go as a group, and then maybe you can talk to them."

The two bowed before their pigtailed dorm mate. "Thank you, Tadokoro!"

* * *

Erina, Hisako, and Megumi arrived at the bustling boardwalk a few minutes before two.

"So who are we meeting with again?" Erina questioned as she smoothed her hands over her lavender maxi skirt. "Yukihiri and who else?"

"Two of our friends from the dorm. Aoki Daigo and Sato Shoji. Um...they're the tough looking ones who fight a lot."

"Oh, right!" the Nakiri heiress said. "I feel like we haven't seen much of them lately."

Hisako, in her high waisted shorts and tank top, glanced around for their companions. While she didn't find them, she noticed a few familiar faces in the crowd. "Look, there's Mito-san and Takumi-kun."

"Alice said she'd come today, too," Erina revealed, just as the Polar Star guys arrived.

"Sorry we're late." Souma handed Megumi an ice cream cone. "We found this gelato stand on the way here and had to check it out."

Megumi smiled as she tasted it. The raspberry flavor was always her favorite. "Thanks."

Following suit, Daigo offered Erina a hazelnut cone and Shoji gave Hisako a strawberry one. The two girls exchanged a look. How had they known?

"So what do you ladies wanna do first?"

"Maybe the bumper cars," Erina said as she glanced down at her map. "And then the arcade. Don't they have that alien game you like, Hisako?"

Hisako flushed a little, despite the slightly crazed glimmer in her eyes. "I-I don't like it all that much."

At this Shoji looked at his own map. "Arato, you're into Space Crusader 2.5?"

"I dabble in it."

"Point five?" Megumi whispered to Erina, who only shrugged. While the Nakiri heiress' nerd side emerged where manga fandoms were concerned, gaming was strictly her secretary's territory.

"Really? Because I heard they edited the graphics lately," Shoji said, as the students started on their way to the bumper cars.

"I remember reading something like that on a blog I follow," Hisako admitted. "They're supposed to be two hundred percent more vivid now."

"I can't wait to see how the arcade version measures up."

As they stood in line, Erina looked up at Daigo curiously. "Do you have any idea what they're talking about?"

"Not even a little bit," he admitted, scratching the back of his head.

"Good, good," she mused. At the very least, it seemed that the right one had latched onto her.

* * *

Alice strolled across the boardwalk, eating cerulean clumps of cotton candy and an assortment of other treats. Her mission was to scientifically observe how the common man entertained himself.

"It's festive, isn't it, you guys?"

"Sure," Ryo said, glancing around with a bored expression.

"It's the perfect venue for a date, right?"

"I guess."

At this Alice crossed her arms over her chest, her cheeks petulantly puffed out. "You know, you could be a bit more enthusiastic now that we're together."

"Noted, babe."

"Remind me why I had to come with you guys," Hayama interjected, somehow looking even more uninterested then Ryo.

Alice turned to him, back to happily stuffing her face with carnival snacks. "Because," she whined. "I couldn't let Erina and her entourage show me up at a time this." She was unquestionably the Nakiri cousin with the most life experience and she meant to keep it that way.

"I've never been part of-"

"Just go along with it," Ryo advised as they turned a corner. At one of the game stalls they saw Erina holding an ever increasing number of stuffed animals. Next to her one of the Polar Star guys that Alice only vaguely recognized played a basketball shooting game with ridiculous success.

As the guy added an especially cute red panda to the top of her pile, Erina spotted them and waved as best as she could.

"Hello, Erina," Alice said coolly.

"How are you, Alice?" Daigo carefully placed a plushy sea turtle on top of the red panda.

Alice's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Did that guy win all of those for you?"

"He did."

"Unacceptable," Alice decided. "Ryo-kun, go win me twice as many!"

"Alright." The fifth seat cracked his knuckles and then donned his red bandana.

Then Alice turned up her nose at her cousin. "Don't you start think your boyfriend is better than mine, Erina."

"Boyfriend?" Erina shook her head. "Not even a little bit. I wouldn't have time for something like that even if I wanted one. I'm just cutting loose a little bit today." She wanted to know, at least once in her life, what it felt like to be an average girl.

Alice stared at the second seat and then sighed, dismayed. "Hmm...I actually believe you," she said. "What's up? Are you still hung up on Yukihira or something?"

"Will you ever stop bringing that up?" Erina snapped. Then it registered to her that Hayama was still standing next to Alice. Her face flushed and her eyes widened comically.

"Don't worry," Alice chirped with a wicked smirk, "Hayama-kun can keep a secret." At this the third seat glared daggers at her. "And I'll stop bothering you about Yukihira when you get over him. What's wrong with the guy you're with right now?"

"Nothing, he's nice," she said, and she meant it. "I'm just not looking for a relationship. Although," the second seat grinned, "Hisako really seems to be hitting it off with Sato-kun."

Alice chuckled. "You don't say."

"Yeah. They've been playing that space game for over two hours now. Records are being broken apparently. They're a dream team." Although the second seat wasn't exactly sure what was happening inside of the arcade, it was cute seeing her best friend having so much fun. "I don't think I've ever seen her this excited with a boy."

Alice covered her mouth to hold back a snorting laugh. Erina had never walked in on her making out with a boy in the copy room. "Well, I wish them all the best. Let's go, Hayama-kun."

Once they were out of earshot, Alice whirled on the spice expert. "Oh my god. Did Hishoko dump you?"

"No. I mean we're not together, but-"

"But now she's on a date and Erina didn't explode, and it's just occurred to you that sneaking around all this time has been pointless," the Nakiri said. Surprise, surprise—she had been right the entire time. "But now it's probably too late."

"Why would that be true?"

"Because a love rival has come along," she pointed out before stopping to buy a funnel cake. The non-gourmet world of food was amazing. "He'll treat her right and won't be afraid to show her off and she'll like it. Soon she'll stop answering your texts and spending more time at the Polar Star dorm. Then one day you'll realize that you only see her at meetings and in class and you'll wonder if what you had with her ever even happened."

"You watch way too much TV," he observed. "And you're wrong." Arato was probably just humoring the guy, and for a best friend Nakiri Erina was remarkably bad at reading her.

"Text her, then," Alice challenged. "You'll see I'm right."

He sighed. "Fine."

 **Hayama:** Hey

After a few minutes, she responded.

 **Hisako:** Can't talk. Maintaining intergalactic peace.

Tip-toeing to read over his shoulder, Alice shook her head, smirking again. "See, that proves it!"

"What, that my girlfriend is a SciFi nerd?" He replied, with a slightly annoyed edge in his voice. "It's the game holding her attention, not the Polar Star extra."

Alice's smirk only grew wider.

"What?" Hayama asked.

She pulled a concealed tape recorder out of her purse and pressed play. And there, on that small device, the debate was settled once and for all.

"There. She's your girlfriend. We are never having this argument again," she said. "Upgrade the relationship before it expires."

* * *

The next morning, Daigo and Shoji convened in the Polar Star living room.

"So did you get a second date?" Daigo questioned.

"Nah." The blonde shook his head. "She said she already has a boyfriend, and she's really into him. We're still gonna meet up when Space Crusader 3.2 comes out though. What about you and Nakiri?"

"She's not really trying to date right now," he revealed.

They took a moment and sighed. Love was rough.

"Alright, who were the next two on the list?" Shoji asked.

"Let's see." Daigo pulled up the shortlist on his phone. "Hōjō Miyako and Kawashima Urara."

"Nice!" He always relished a challenge.

Maybe they'd have better luck next time.

 **Authors Notes:** Thanks for reading, everyone! Thanks to your comments, I realized that I've been leaving Daigo and Shoji out of my Polar Star scenes, so I wanted to give them their day in the sun. Let me know what you all want to read next, and have a great day!


	14. Caffeine in the Time of Midterms

**Caffeine in the Time of Midterms**

 _Irish Coffee & London Fog (12:04 AM)_

Nakiri Alice hummed to herself, flipping through the pages of a gastronomy magazine while the indigo paint on her toenails dried. She nibbled on some madeleines she'd made earlier, offhandedly thinking of what cutting edge cookware she'd purchase next. Just when she felt that Ryo was taking a bit too long with her earl grey latte, her assistant turned boyfriend entered the room.

"Here." He handed her the drink and sat at the edge of the bed. Alice gave a contented sigh.

"Can you believe that Erina and Hishoko are still up studying? They couldn't even bother to entertain me a bit. How rude."

"Just study with them," the fifth seat advised as he sipped an Irish coffee that was nearly all whisky.

"Why would I do that?" Alice laughed. "Whatever points I might lose on the written exams I'll more than make up for on the practicums."

Ryo nodded his agreement, swirled his drink. "Those neurotic types won't get that," he said. Most of the third years had that perfectionist streak, especially those on the Elite Ten Council. They wanted excellence on all fronts, even in subjects that had nothing to do with cooking. It would be their undoing. "This is the time when they'll slip up in the kitchen."

Alice's gave a tinkling laugh at this. She always loved the way that evil mind of his worked. "Mhmm...this is when Erina will be at her worst. Hayama too. Ryo-kun, this is brilliant!" She ran through the plan rapidly forming in her mind. They'd be tired, irritable, more likely to accept a challenge. It was perfect. "We can grab the second and third seats in one swoop."

"I'm only interested in the first," Ryo said. Anything between two and six was all the same to him.

Alice waved him off. "You'd hate it anyway. It's too much paperwork and too many meetings."

Ryo paused, considering this. "You're probably right."

"Naturally," the Nakiri heiress said. "Now let's get some sleep." It would be their greatest asset in the battles ahead.

 _Barley Tea (2:37 AM)_

Tadokoro was eating the person character again as she sat hunched over her mammoth textbook for Cuisine in Classical Literature. Souma's eyes narrowed with affection as he watched her dutifully take notes. She got like this every exam season, but she always did better than anyone in the dorm—save Marui—on the written tests. But she'd be fine, they all would. Isshiki-senpai had told them the course was an easy A, after all—no homework except for reading, relatively few in-class assignments.

He set a thermos of cold barely tea in front of her, the way she always did for him when he pulled all nighters.

"Thanks." She smiled up at him, radiant despite the dark circles forming beneath her eyes. "But you should get to bed soon if you're done studying."

"Are you gonna be up all night?"

"Probably." She paused, yawned, and turned back to him. "Hey, Souma-kun, do you remember what the role of garum was in the patrician dinner parties in Ancient Rome?"

"Huh?" He blinked once. Twice. The professor hadn't mentioned that during the lectures. "Is that some kind of bread?"

"It's a condiment made from fish intestines and vinegar," Megumi explained as she flipped through her spiral notebook. "I just can't remember if it was served towards the beginning of the meal or only with the main course. Was it in chapter ten or twelve of the main text?"

"I see." Maybe he should have bought the books for that class after all. "What else are you reviewing for that test?"

"Let's see." Megumi opened her binder and took out an annotated and thoroughly highlighted study sheet. "There's beer culture in Mesopotamia as described in the _Epic of Gilgamesh,_ the history of rice cultivation worldwide, and representations of bread in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. But that's just for unit one. In unit two-"

"Uh Tadokoro..."

She glanced up at him. "What is it, Souma-kun?"

"What do you think the chances of passing are for someone who, say, didn't do a few of the readings?"

"How many is a few?"

"...All of them."

"Souma-kun!" She started eating the person character again, this time for his sake. "What do ya think you've been doin' all this time? Being on the Elite Ten ain't a free pass, ya know. You can still get expelled for failing midterms!"

"I know, I know," he said, even as Megumi slid her study guide of the gods over to him.

"Hopefully this helps. I highlighted the most important things in purple."

"Don't you need this?"

Megumi shrugged. "You need it more."

"Thanks Tadokoro."

"Don't mention it. If it wasn't for you, I would have failed French last year for sure."

 _Marocchino_ (5:32 AM)

It was entirely too late at night for anyone to still be awake and too early for even the sun to rise, but in a certain apartment, just a few miles off a certain campus, a certain heiress typed away on her laptop.

Ikumi rolled her neck, sighing as the line graphs and spreadsheets started blurring together. At a random her father had decided that she should be the one to present on the Mito Group's third quarter earnings at the meeting that weekend. And of course, he had picked Tōtsuki's midterms week to thrust this responsibility upon her.

She glanced over at the couch where Takumi's face was covered by colossal textbook on macroeconomics and the culinary world. They had agreed to keep each other awake while they crammed, but she'd let him be for the past three hours.

He approached her in the kitchen another half hour later, shaking his head. "Why didn't-"

"You looked tired." Ikumi shrugged and bit into the fried chicken sandwich she'd just made. Then she held it out to him. "Want a bite?"

"Grazie." He took it from her and glanced at the work she was doing. "Are you almost done?"

She almost laughed. "Not even close."

"You should sleep, amore," he chided, even as he started the espresso machine. It was an authentic one, shipped all the way from his hometown in Tuscany.

"I'll sleep next month." The ninth seat sighed as the scent of fresh cocoa powder filled the air. He was making her favorite.

Takumi set the drink, housed in an elegant coffee glass Ikumi couldn't remember buying, down in front of her. He had done some lazy latte art in the foam—a little cartoonish version of her. She smiled, sipped it, felt herself starting to blush.

"W-what the hell? If you have time to do all of that go back to sleep!"

But for both of them the night had only just begun.

 _Chai_ _(2:45 PM)_

At the weekly meeting in Tōtsuki's parliament, the Elite Ten Council was a sad sight to behold. At one end of the long table, Erina sat with her hair in a high ponytail to hide the fact that she didn't have enough time to blow dry it—or to ask Hisako to do it for her. And at the other Ikumi and Aldini were drinking espresso out of full sized mugs, both of them hyper-alert and jittery.

Yukihira and Tadokoro hadn't bothered to show up. Whether they were still studying or napping after their morning exams, the world would never know. Megumi had at least posted an apologetic message in their group chat. But Hisako was sure nobody else had read it. She had only seen it flash briefly across the screen of her tablet as she proceeded to cancel all of Erina's tastings for the week.

Most infuriatingly, Alice and Kurokiba, who never seemed to be stressed out about anything, sat smugly, looking decidedly less disheveled than just about everyone else in the room.

Rolling her eyes at them, Hisako poured Erina another Americano—and then one for herself. They were both tea people usually, but times were desperate and they couldn't pass up the extra caffeine.

"Your hair looks great today, Erina," Alice chirped, and Hisako knew that Erina was willing herself not to pour the coffee on her cousin.

"Thanks."

"And how was the French exam?" she tried again. "I know you've never been that good with languages."

"I did fine, Alice. Now can we just talk about the budget?"

"Sure. I could use a new cooking wing," the Nakiri said.

"What's wrong with the the you have now?"

"I'm bored with it. Ryo-kun, you'll approve the project right?"

"Sure."

"And Hayama-kun will support me too."

"What?" He looked up, clearing his throat, his jade eyes slightly unfocused. Hisako frowned.

"You could at least listen while the leader of your faction is speaking." Alice crossed her arms petulantly. "We're trying to get my new cooking wing approved."

"And I've been telling you it's unnecessary!" Erina added.

"I'm calling for a recess," the seventh seat said, sensing Erina's rage about to bubble over. "Let's reconvene in fifteen minutes."

"Fine by me," Alice sang as she sauntered off to her lounge with Kurokiba in tow.

"Takumi, do you have an espresso machine hiding in here too?" Ikumi asked.

"It's upstairs," he told her, and then they were gone as well.

"Are you coming to my lounge, Hisako?" Erina questioned.

"You should go on ahead, Erina-sama," she said. "I'll be up in a minute."

Once they were alone, Hisako went over to Hayama and took a seat on the edge of the conference table. She nudged his leg with her own.

He cleared his throat again. "What's the matter, Arato?"

Hisako could tell now that his voice was a little off. He sounded just the tiniest bit congested, but most people would've missed it.

"You should be in bed." She reached out to touch the side of his face. A lifelong student of traditional medicine, Hisako had of course estimated how high the fever would be, but it still shocked her. Over the past few days she had only seen him in passing, but he always looked put together, unbothered. He exuded his usual princely charm even while other students were folding under their exhaustion all around.

After a short pause, Hayama brushed her off. No one had noticed all week. "It's nothing to worry about."

"Akira," she began, gesturing at the mug of masala chai in front of him. "It's midterms week and you, a coffee enthusiast, are drinking tea. Go home."

"It's fine. After this I still have to write the exam for Jun's class and facilitate a practicum." And that was before he balanced the monthly budget and studied for the classes he was actually taking.

"Honestly." Hisako sighed, rolling her eyes. It was generally understood that Tōtsuki students had to be excused from all other obligations during exam season. "You're going to just collapse someday if you keep this up."

"So you have this side to you too," he observed.

Hisako turned her gaze downward, her face reddening. Was this how far she'd fallen? Who _was_ she? When had she become this soft person? She was almost starting to sound like Tadokoro-san.

"I mean..." She shrugged, crossed her arms over her chest. "We're like...a thing, right? At least tell me when you don't feel good so I can..." She shook her head. Nope. Too mushy. It would be better not to go there. "I mean, what if I had tried to kiss you or something?"

Hayama flashed a smirk at his secret not-quite-girlfriend. "Is that what you were thinking about?"

"You're so infuriating." Her phone vibrated just then, and when she checked it there was a message from Erina asking what was taking her so long. She stood, smoothed her skirt. "I have to go, but I'll bring something for your throat."

"How did you–"

"Shh." Hisako gave his shoulder a light squeeze. "This is what I do."

"What kept you?" Erina asked when she finally made it up to the lounge.

"This and that." She went straight for the cabinets that housed her medicinal tea blends.

"Tea?"

"It's not for me," the secretary explained, regretting the words as soon as they left her.

"Then who?"

Hisako sighed. She was too sleep deprived to come up with a plausible lie. "It's for Hayama-kun."

"Oh..." The Nakiri heiress narrowed her eyes, thinking. "That's nice of you, but..."

"What is it, Erina-sama?" Hisako asked, trying to slow her heartbeat. She had gotten careless. What would she say if Erina asked her directly?

"Nothing." Erina shook her head, chided herself for being silly. She would know if Hisako liked someone, right? She would just _know_ in the same way Hisako seemed to know everything about her before it was even true. And if she didn't _know_ , Hisako would tell her, right? The heiress sighed and took a sip of her coffee. One day without sleep and she was thinking all kinds of crazy things. "Nothing at all."

 **Authors Notes:** Hello, dear readers. I deeply apologize for the unexpected hiatus! I didn't think this semester would be as demanding as it's been so far and I haven't had much free time to write. Thanks for reading, everyone, and have a great day.


	15. Rewind (Erina-centered)

_**Author's Notes:** The bulk of this chapter presents the events of chapter one from Erina's perspective (as opposed to Megumi's), therefore this chapter addresses the Sorina ship, while The Third Year as a whole remains a Soumegu story. Also, the mood of this chapter was partly inspired by the song "Satisfied" on the Hamilton soundtrack, whereas "Helpless" better fits the vibe of the first chapter. Thanks for reading, everyone!_

It was a typical Friday night at the Nakiri mansion. Alice and Kurokiba had gone out on a date. It was a double date this time, if Erina had heard her cousin's boastful ramblings correctly. Probably with Takumi and Ikumi or something. A few minutes after they left, Hisako had slipped out of the back door wearing lipstick and perfume and a black dress with a slit up one side. If her endeavors on previous Friday nights were any indication, she wouldn't be back until the wee hours of the morning.

This time, like each time before, Erina had been sorely tempted to ask her friend where she was going and who she kept meeting and whether she thought it would last, but she didn't. People were entitled to their secrets—their secret pleasures, their secret sorrows. There were things Erina preferred to keep hidden as well.

With a resigned sigh, the second seat closed the romance manga she had been reading and let it rest on her down pillows. She walked over to her desk and opened a small drawer with a key she kept at the bottom of her jewelry box. Inside was a plain manila envelope, one she had sent Hisako to deliver to the Polar Star dorm three months prior. Thinking it had contained only routine shokugeki related paperwork, Hisako had offered to store it in the 'voided' section of her gargantuan file cabinet. But Erina had insisted that she should keep the documents with her in case another opportunity to use them ever arose. It hadn't.

Taking a seat on her plush swivel chair, Erina took the top document—printed, of course, on her personal letterhead—and read her statement of challenge for the first time since the day she composed it.

 _Yukihira-kun,_

 _It's insulting that you thought for even a minute that this was a real challenge. Given your current condition, I could win the first seat back in my sleep. However, being a woman of principle, I could never bring myself do such a thing—least of all to you..._

* * *

It had all started about two weeks after the shokugeki that changed everything. In a 3-2 ruling, Yukihira Souma dethroned the illustrious Nakiri heiress and took the first seat of the Elite Ten Council. Subsequently, nearly every senior at Tōtsuki—and an impressive number of underclassmen—set out to challenge him for the top spot. The impulse, however ill-conceived, was understandable. If a commoner could reach the academy's pinnacle, why couldn't any of them? What Erina couldn't wrap her mind around was why he always felt the need to entertain their requests.

"You're up early," Erina had said one morning when she'd spotted her cousin on her way out the door.

Alice glanced up at her, yawning. "Takumi Aldini took the spot last night, so I had to settle for a shokugeki before classes."

"Alice." Erina gave her hair a petulant flip that was made less threatening by the fact that she was still in her nightgown. "Do you truly believe that you're going to win against him?"

"It's a crapshoot, honestly," the fourth seat revealed. "With our grade, the rankings barely mean anything. You, me, Yukihira, Hayama, and Ryo-kun are all basically at the same level. Who ends up winning depends on luck, the weather, how you feel when you get out of bed." She gave a noncommittal wave to punctuate her point.

"You'd like to think that," Erina said, mostly to herself. "Well, try not to take too much time. He and I have to go meet with the people from _Food & Wine _magazine later this morning."

"Don't worry. I won't make you late for your date." Alice winked at her cousin before opening the door. If someone had told Erina she'd ever miss being teased like that, she would have never believed it.

"For the last time, Alice, it is _not_ a date. It's an interview!"

"Whatever you say, Erina. You can console him on the way there after I win."

In the end, Alice didn't win the shokugeki, but she still managed to put them off schedule.

"You're late," Erina said when Souma slid into the car they'd be taking to the interview location. "If you're going to occupy this position you should at least make an attempt to be somewhat punctual."

"My bad, Nakiri," he said, unbothered as ever by her scolding.

As they started driving, Erina checked her emails and texted Hisako and approved all the tastings she'd attend in the next two weeks. About half an hour into the journey, she actually ran out of work to do. She usually brought more paperwork with her, but she normally got absolutely nothing down when Yukihira was around, so she hadn't seen the point. Just as she was contemplating her unexpected productivity, a string of sneezes from the boy next to her drew Erina out of her musings.

She glanced over at the first seat. "What's wrong with you?"

"What?"

"You're not talking my ear off like you usually do," Erina pointed out. And then, although he had been looking pretty tired before, he flashed her that ever irritating grin—the one that made people think that nothing was ever a problem for him. By the end of their first year, she'd known for certain that it was fake at least eighty percent of the time.

"If you wanted to have a conversation, you could have just said so."

"I'm not saying that I wanted to talk to you! It's just unusual for you not to rudely impose on me and distract me from my work, so I thought I'd ask why."

"You know, Nakiri, you have a pretty cool talent there. You can really make anything sound hostile."

"And you can distract people until they forget the questions you don't want to answer." That was another thing she had noticed at the end of their first year. She had watched him talk circles around Tadokoro and Takumi—even his own father—and not one of them ever noticed he was doing it.

Souma sighed, then coughed a little. "What was the question?"

"What. Is. The. Matter. With. You?" She enunciated each syllable individually. "And if you say 'nothing' I will probably punch you."

Souma smirked at her. "I would pay to see you punch someone."

At this, Erina rolled her eyes. Then she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "You know, now that you mention it, I don't think I've ever actually punched anyone, and..." The second seat grew quiet, realizing what he was doing. "And that is not even the point! Yukihira!"

In the face of her withering glare, the first seat could only laugh. When he started coughing soon after, Erina just shook her head.

"Do you have a cold or something?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "I think I'm just tired."

Sighing, the second seat slid over and placed her hand on his forehead. "If you have a fever, it's only a small one," she decided. Hisako had taught her well over the years. Then she retracted her hand and turned her head away, content to pretend that she hadn't just done that. "You'll probably be fine if you take it easy for the next few days."

But, of course, he didn't take it easy. And when the first seat walked into the French cuisine practicum they had together that Thursday morning, he looked like hell and sounded worse.

As was expected, they both finished their rouille de seiche well ahead of everyone else in the class, and received top marks, and had ample time left over to quarrel over nothing the way they always did. Or at least, they would have been quarreling if he could manage to get more than two sentences out without coughing like his lungs were about to end up on the floor.

"You sound like shit."

"When did you start swearing, Nakiri?"

Erina's cheeks flushed faintly. "Shortly after meeting you," she said—and sadly it was pretty much true. "Anyway, do you want a ride back to the dorm? I have a car coming around after class ends."

"Thanks, but I have another shokugeki right after this."

The Nakiri heiress rolled her eyes. "You really have no sense of self-preservation." If only he had sabotaged himself this well back when she was rooting for his demise. "Against who?"

"Hayama."

Erina's eyes widened, all Alice's talk about crapshoots and rankings rushing back to her. "You're literally giving him the first seat," she said. "Even on a normal day, there's about a fifty-fifty chance that you'd lose to me or Hayama."

"That's—"

"True. And you know it." Erina crossed her arms over her chest. "Just cancel the match and reschedule it for later. It's not like you have anything to prove anymore...well, _I_ still won't accept you, but that's a completely separate issue."

"Things must really look bad if you're worried, Nakiri," he managed to say before he started hacking again.

Erina just sighed. There was so much she resented about that statement, she didn't even know where to begin. Who said she was worried? And even more pressingly, who said she worried about him any less than anybody else? "You're not going to listen to me anyway," she said.

"I'll pull it off," he promised her, right before the class period ended. "Just watch."

And naturally, he did pull it off—though just barely. And she did watch, though she was watching him more than the match, willing him telepathically not to fall over—as that was what people tended to do when they could hardly breathe.

And when it was over, he'd smiled a smile she knew was just for her. Once again, Yukihira Souma had proven her wrong, and once again she was happy to have been mistaken. Erina hadn't even minded that people could probably see her gazing down at him like some naive Juliet.

But then Kurokiba issued his challenge. And as tireless as the current first seat was in his pursuit of new cuisine, she could tell that he was too spent to pull off another match. So, Nakiri Erina did what she did best. She made a scene.

From her private viewing balcony, Erina whirled on her cousin's aide. "Don't be absurd, Kurokiba-kun. His next opponent will be none other than me." The entire crowd gasped as Kawashima Urara tried her best to commentate on this new turn of events. "After I take back my seat, you can fight me for it. If you have anything of value to offer me, that is. It'd do all of you good to remember I'm not as lenient as Yukihira-kun."

Then the stadium erupted again, with everyone from the middle school students to the Polar Star crowd—sans Tadokoro—chatting anxiously amongst themselves. At long last, the cruel God tongue, Queen Erina, had returned to Tōtsuki.

Erina glanced down at Souma one more time, her lips curled into a proud smirk, her eyes warm with affection, before turning to leave with Hisako in tow.

"Shall I draft an official statement of challenge for you, Erina-sama?" her aide asked once they were back inside the mansion.

"No," she replied. "I'll write it myself. This one will be...unique." That was putting it lightly.

"Alright..." Hisako's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she didn't ask any questions—a favor that Erina would return a thousand fold in the months to come. "Is there anything you need me to get for you?"

"A shot," the second seat said with a sigh. "I think Alice has a handle of vodka on a shelf somewhere."

Hisako blinked a few times, clearly shocked, though trying not to show it. "Of course. I'll bring it immediately."

After she took a shot—three, actually, if she were to be honest—Erina sat at her desk, in her plush swivel chair, and started typing.

 _Yukihira-kun,_

 _It's insulting that you thought for even a minute that this was a real challenge. Given your current condition, I could win the first seat back in my sleep. However, being a woman of principle, I could never bring myself do such a thing—least of all to you. While I generally don't share your egalitarian streak, I can respect it...at least sometimes. But, putting all that aside, you must know that since the day you first set foot on this campus, the pinnacle of the academy has belonged to you and me. Since we were first years, it felt like everything and everyone at this institution, including my grandfather (a fact that I still find a bit disturbing) has been pushing us towards one another. I hated you for it at first, which I'm sure you already know, but fighting against it is too exhausting. I'd be lying if I said you weren't someone important to me—although I'm definitely still going to say it. Don't waste your energy fighting every single battle that comes your way, because when I do decide to take you on again, I won't hold back._

 _Additionally, on that note, get some sleep. If I see you in class, or at Parliament, or in any official or unofficial shokugeki venue any time before Monday, there will be hell to pay! Also, I suppose_ _you can text me if you need anything._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Nakiri Erina_

Then she printed the form and slid it into the envelope and sent Hisako to bring it to the Polar Star.

It had returned to her unopened.

* * *

After she finished reading it over, Erina put the letter back in her drawer and locked it. In the morning she'd wake up and fight with Alice and act like she didn't see the curious red marks that periodically showed up on the side of Hisako's neck. On Monday, she would pretend to be as delighted with Souma and Megumi's puppy love as everyone else in their circle of friends. By Wednesday, the delight would seem real. And if the weight of feelings unconfessed fell upon her again on some Friday night when she was left to her own devices...

People were entitled to their secrets—their secret what-ifs, their secret somedays. The drawer would always be hers to open or lock.


	16. 48 Hours

_Thirteen_

It was that time of year again.

Since the founding of the academy, two months short of graduation the top three members of the Elite Ten Council were expected to produce a detailed report on the current academic, financial, and socio-environmental state of the academy. For even the most fastidious elites, the three hundred page document, complete with graphs and statistics from reputable sources, was a daunting task. During his yearlong tenure as first seat Isshiki Satoshi had nearly died, and surely he would have if not for Kinokuni Nene's diligence and forethought.

And as Isshiki-senpai had made this first seat thing look far easier than it actually was, Souma had assumed half unconsciously that Nakiri and Hayama would have picked up the slack while he planned parties and won contests and went home with Tadokoro on the weekends. But alas, he had been sorely mistaken.

With the due date drawing ever nearer, Erina had decided that they would not leave the building until they were at least finished writing the first draft. So there the three sat on the floor of the conference room at Parliament with a pot of black coffee between them.

"We should cook," Souma said, as he had without fail every fifteen minutes since they started working early that morning.

"No," Erina replied. Last time they had tried that, they wasted _three whole hours_ comparing their approaches to brunch. Erina conceived it as more of a late breakfast, while Yukihira was staunchly in the early lunch camp. While they were at it Hayama had disappeared somewhere—to nap, probably, if he'd been smart—but the Nakiri heiress couldn't be bothered with how he spent his time. As it stood, they were only fifty pages into the great report, not including line graphs and other visuals, and Hayama was responsible for at least thirty of them. "We need to get this done so we can leave."

"Then how are we supposed to eat?" the first seat asked her. "Don't pretend you're not hungry too."

The fact was, Erina was famished. It was hours past dinnertime. But the prospect of falling short in the eyes of Doujima Gin and her grandfather was so upsetting that she could completely ignore her biological cravings—if he'd stop reminding her of them, that is. Her stomach growled, albeit discreetly, and she sighed. "We could...order pizza or something." Even the words tasted wrong on her god tongue.

The first and second seats stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, lilac against amber, before they both burst into laughter. "No, but seriously," he said. "Let me make something. I know you liked the brunch yakisoba."

She rolled her eyes despite the blush that threatened to cover her cheeks; she had loved that damn yakisoba so much she wanted to slap him for it. "It was alright at best," she replied, arms crossed petulantly across her chest. "And my crepes were definitely better."

His eyebrows raised at this. "You wanna put that to the test? I mean _again_ since nobody was really there to judge the first time. Maybe Hayama could—"

"Absolutely not." At this particular point the third seat was utterly done with the two of them and their eccentric whims, and their tragically short attention spans, and the belligerent sexual tension that prevented them from functioning like normal human beings when they were within twenty yards of each other.

Erina sighed. "Yukihira, as soon as we are done here, I will gladly mop the floor with your mere lunch masquerading as brunch. But for now, I'll get Hisako to bring us some food. What are you in the mood for?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Maybe something with duck."

Erina nodded. "I've actually been craving confit de canard all day."

"For that you usually have to marinate the meat for a day and a half," Souma pointed out. "But Arato always comes through."

Erina nodded proudly. She would never go hungry, or even mildly inconvenienced, on Hisako's watch. "Naturally."

"You should see if she could get some of that rice juice from Sakaki, too."

"Why didn't I think of that?" The Nakiri heiress would surely need a drink or two by the time this whole ordeal was over. "And do you know if Tadokoro-san had a chance to get the new volume of that manga yet?" It made sense to pick it up if Hisako was going to be at the dorm anyway.

"She might've. I'll ask her."

Acutely aware of where this train of thought would lead, Hayama took out his phone and texted the medicinal chef in question.

 **Hayama:** _What are you up to?_

 **Hisako:** _I'm thiiiiiiiiiis close to sneaking off to the Arato mansion, tbh._

 **Hayama:** _Get out while you can._

 **Hisako:** _No, that wouldn't be right._

"Don't you think she might be busy?" the third seat asked, hoping to save her from more drudgery. He knew that for as long as they'd been writing and compiling, Arato had been down in the archives preparing any records Nakiri—and Yukihira by extension—might find useful. And when she wasn't doing that she was running all the errands they couldn't get to while they were confined to Parliament—and slowly filling the conference rooms with a host of creature comforts from the Nakiri mansion and the Polar Star dorm.

Erina waved him off. "She's definitely fine with it," she said before making the call.

* * *

 _Fourteen_

 _Of course, Erina-sama_ , Hisako had said on the phone when the second seat called her up to make an incredibly specific dinner request. _I'll bring it up to you as soon as possible._

The duck, she knew, had to be rubbed with salt and herbs and then left to refrigerate for thirty-six hours. At a school like Tōtsuki _somebody_ had to have a properly seasoned one handy. But how to go about getting it? She sighed. Better to start with the things she could address quickly—the sake, the manga. With a sigh, she cleaned up the archives and made her way back to the Polar Star dorm.

When she arrived, Tadokoro-san opened the door looking rested and content—all too happy to help. "What are Souma-kun and Nakiri-san asking for this time?"

After hearing Hisako's latest tale of woe, Megumi brought down the manga and brought down two unmarked glass bottles of Sakaki Ryouko's homemade 'rice juice.' "I know Yoshino-san provides most of the French Cuisine Research Society's game," she said. "Maybe she could help you get a hold of that duck."

Hisako offered a feeble smile in response. "You are a saint, Tadokoro-san."

Megumi glanced at the pink haired girl warily. "If you want, I could fill in for you at Parliament for a little while. I know those two can be a handful when they get together." If their experience in Hokkaido fighting Central had taught her anything at all, it was that.

Hisako nibbled her lower lip, thinking. The chance of a reprieve sounded like paradise, but she couldn't abandon Hayama. And besides, while Yukihira with Erina was distracted, at least he was in town. If Tadokoro showed up, all warm smiles and sweet words and wide honey-colored eyes, Hisako doubted that the two of them would still be in Tokyo come morning, let alone at Parliament. And here she was feeling bad about wanting to steal away to her ancestral home. She smiled. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm sure this will all be over soon."

Just under two hours later, Hisako delivered a perfectly executed duck dish to her best friend at the conference table. She accepted the praise and gratitude of the first and second seats with humble smiles, and wished them luck on the rest of the report.

"Hisako," Erina said as she was turning to leave, "What happened to your contacts?" She usually only wore glasses when she was on the computer or down in the archives.

The seventh seat shrugged. "One fell out a couple of hours ago, and I didn't have time to go home and get a new pair." In truth, she had been working so hard and for so long that her eyes had revolted, reverting into a pair of red teary messes, when she tried to change them. But still she turned to the Nakiri heiress before she left and asked, "Is there anything else you need, Erina-sama?"

And of course, oblivious as ever, Erina smiled and said, "Since you have to go back to the mansion anyway, could you bring me four of my down pillows and the duvet from my bedroom? Oh, and my face lotion and pajamas."

"No problem," she replied, not without a small sigh. "I'll be back." As soon as she left the room, she got a text from Hayama.

 **Hayama:** _Are your eyes bothering you?_

 **Hisako:** _Not so much anymore. Just_ t _ell me you three are almost finished. Please._

 **Hayama:** _Only about a third of the way._

 **Hisako:** _(crying emojis)_

 **Hayama:** _It's not too late to run away._

 **Hisako:** _Don't tempt me lol._ _Besides, they'll probably fall asleep soon anyway._

* * *

 _Twenty_

Souma glanced down at his phone, yawning. It was four in the morning, and unless Hayama had pulled off a miracle while he was out, they still weren't done with the damn report. When Nakiri fell asleep on the carpet, he had offered to carry her—along with her down pillows and duvet—up to the couch in her personal lounge. It was supposed to be a quick errand, but after he set her down a dark voice told him to sit and take one of his famous five minute naps. He had listened, but after the original five minutes were up, the voice returned, telling him to take ten, then fifteen, then quit the Elite Ten, then just drop out of school altogether—he would be fine, he had enough job offers. By the time he finally came to his senses, nearly three hours had elapsed.

Souma opened his messages from the third seat—which ranged in tone from 'where'd you go, bro?' to 'fuck you'—and decided that Hayama was going to shoot him if he didn't get back to work soon. Careful not to wake Nakiri, he crept out of the lounge and returned to the conference room. Finding it empty, he went to Hayama's office. The third seat was asleep on a couch of his own with a certain pink haired secretary softly snoring on top of him.

 _When the hell had that happened?_

Souma rubbed his eyes, assuming that he must have been seeing things. But upon closer inspection, they just looked even cozier—his hand on the small of her back and her face buried in his chest—as if they did this every other night or something. Weird, Souma decided. Too weird to think about it at this hour. So, not knowing what else to do, he returned to Erina's lounge.

She was awake when he got there, though just barely. "What happened to you?" Erina asked. He looked like he'd just seen a ghost making out with the person it was supposed to be haunting.

Souma paused...Did she know? Arato was her best friend, so she probably knew, right? _Maybe_. Arato was nothing if she wasn't secretive—Hayama too. But was there even any secret to begin with? Tadokoro slept in his bed all the time and they weren't...well, it wasn't that they _weren't_...but they hadn't. He sighed. It was entirely too early for this shit. Better not say anything to Nakiri. "I had a dream that you guys sacrificed me to a man-eating printer in exchange for another hundred pages."

Erina laughed, rolling her eyes all the while. "You're a good liar, Yukihira," she said thoughtfully. "You really are. But you can't lie to me." It sometimes seemed like he was the only one.

His eyes narrowed slightly at this. It was true, he knew, but he never thought she'd address it. "I guess you're right about that," he said before yawning. "I still can't figure you out though."

"What do you mean by that?"

He shrugged. Once again, too early, but she had asked. "One day we're best friends, the next you won't talk to me. It's kinda confusing."

Erina sighed. Oh, that. She knew she wasn't being fair, but it was pretty difficult to hang around someone you were supposed to be getting over. Even when you wanted to. "There is a reason for that."

"You wanna tell me what it is?" he asked. "Did I do something?"

Oh, she was not having this conversation right now. She threw one of her down pillows at him and then shifted the covers so about half the blanket would reach him on the floor. Then she rolled over, facing the plush cushions of her couch, and shut her eyes. "Sorry, I'm asleep. Try again later." _Or don't_. Actually, it would be a lot better if he didn't. But when had he ever made anything easy for her?

"Come on, Nakiri."

"Can't hear you," she reminded him, contentedly curled up in her blankets. "Sleeping."

The first seat merely shook his head at her; Nakiri could be so strange sometimes. "Ok, goodnight."

"Night." Erina muffled her sigh with the pillows.

* * *

 _Twenty-seven_

When brunch-time rolled around again, the report was two thirds done, and Souma had pitted his paella pizza against Erina's transcontinental brunch, which married elements of the Japanese, French, and American culinary traditions.

"Do you see what I'm saying now?" he asked.

"I do," she admitted as she took another bite of the pizza, the well-seasoned squid and shrimp and mussels pleasuring her god tongue. "I would order this at a restaurant...but I'd order it _for lunch_. Maybe even dinner if it's casual dining, which it always seems to be with you."

"Alright," he said, tasting her bacon, brie, and shiitake omelette. Beside it was a basket of croissants stuffed with either chocolate or red bean paste, and a side of crisp hash browns and roe. "Explain to me how this is different from regular breakfast."

"The approach is completely different! Just look at the interplay between the sweet and savory flavors. This is far too robust to serve for breakfast! Just ask Hisako." The second seat turned around and found that her best friend, who was supposed to be judging their contest, was nowhere to be find. "Really? Where does she keep disappearing to?"

"Who knows?" After last night, Souma had a few ideas, but he wasn't giving anything away. He pulled a deck of playing cards out of his pocket. "You up for a game while we wait for Hayama to get back from...wherever?"

"Sure." Erina gave a little smirk. It would do her heart delight to beat him a few times before they got back to work.

* * *

 _Thirty_

Did she say _a few_ times?

After completely exhausting their appetites for rummy, crazy eights, and speed, they settled into a seemingly endless game of bullshit.

"Three aces." Erina threw her cards face down onto the deck, her face cool and composed as ever.

"Two twos."

"One three."

"One four."

"Bullshit," the Nakiri heiress called before she even glanced at her own hand. With a sigh Souma picked up the cards that had accumulated thus far and took a sip of Sakaki's sake.

"How do you keep doing that?"

"You have a tell," she said. "Two fives."

"One six."

"Three sevens."

"Bullshit." Erina picked up the deck and shrugged. It had only been a few cards anyway. "Can I confirm something, Nakiri?" he asked her.

"Yes, you are very bad at this game," she said.

"Nah, not that." He grinned at her. "But you're definitely awake right now, right?"

 _Shit._ He had remembered after all. "I guess."

"So you can tell me what I did to make you mad," he said. "Is it about the first seat? That's around when it started, right?"

"And if it was?" she asked, existentially thankful that he had supplied his own explanation.

"You can have it back," he told her. There was an earnest look in his golden eyes. "You were better at the job, anyway. Everyone knows it."

"That is true. Very true." Erina closed her fingers around her cards to keep them from trembling. She had not been expecting that response—not one bit. "But you...you'd really give up the academy's pinnacle just to stay friends with me?"

Souma shrugged, scratching the back of his head. "I mean, why wouldn't I? You're great to be around, Nakiri."

 _But it's still not enough._ Wordlessly the second seat poured out more sake, chugged it, poured some more. "Who do you take me for?" Her voice had a petulant edge to it, trying in vain to sound more insulted than touched. "I'll come for my seat when I'm good and ready.

"So it's about something else, then," he deduced. Souma sighed, finished his drink, poured another. "You know, you really don't make this easy, Nakiri."

"You wouldn't want me to," she said, meaning it in more ways than one. Their entire relationship was based on her setting up impossible challenges and him finding a way to overcome them. All would be lost if she were to just give him the answer. "Besides, I'm not mad at you."

"Then what—"

"Figure it out." Suddenly she was all haughtiness and hair flips again. "But do it on your own time. We still have to finish this report."

"Alright." Souma glanced at the time warily. "Eighteen hours to go."

 **Author's Notes:** Thanks for reading, everyone! Have a good day!


End file.
